Darkest Knight
by Sith Lord Darth Revan
Summary: Malak's betrayal of Darth Revan leaves the jawless wonder dead and Revan in possession of the Jedi's secret weapon. But it can never be that simple now, can it?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Explanation: What if Malak's attack failed to kill Darth Revan? I have to give major props to Tinuveil Undomeil as well as xInuyashaxAngelx for inspiration. I suggest you check out their stories _Captivated_ and_ The Change of Destiny_.

Chapter 1: Prisoner

_"How arrogant is this man?"_

Bastila Shan's mind questioned as she approached the bridge of Revan's flagship. The Dark Lord had fallen into the trap the Jedi had set and all that remained was to take him and bring him back and hopefully end the cycle of bloodshed and violence that had consumed their Order since the start of the Mandalorian wars. As the doorways opened, the Jedi and Republic soldiers alongside her charged forward, only to me met with a devastating hail of blasterbolts. Through the blaster bolts and the smoke, Bastila could see several crimson sabers deflecting the shots back. Snapping into action, Bastila advanced, blocking and sending back the deadly bolts of energy as she and her companions fought for their lives.   
Darth Revan ignored the hell that had unleashed itself on his bridge, instead staring at the Leviathan. Malak had lost what little sanity he still held with the loss of his jaw and Revan was concerned for his old friend. Malak blamed him for that and now Malak could take advantage, when he was being attacked on one side, Malak could strike the other. Revan walked slowly to the deflector controls of his ship, channeling all power to the bridge shields and ignoring the cries of those that died around him. They did not matter and in his plan people would die. Revan clasped his hands behind his back and stared at the Leviathan, his dark eyes tracing its movements through the battle.

_"I knew it!"_

Revan chanted in victory as the Leviathan broke from the battle and charged his vessel. Malak's mind could not take the death and destruction he had witnessed in the Mandalorian wars and his madness had spilled into the Jedi Civil War. After two years as his 'loyal' apprentice, Revan knew that Malak was mad enough to attack him.

"Horan! No!"

Revan turned and raised his hand as the Republic soldier dropped his vibroblade, grasping his throat. Sneering at the man who had the audacity to attack him when his back was turned, Revan briefly toyed with the idea of telekineticly breaking every bone in the man's body as he held him suspended by the Force. Shaking his head mentally, Revan twisted his wrist and listened as the man's neck popped. Horan, as the other soldiers had called him was no more and Revan finally faced his opponents. Apparently, none of the Republic soldiers had lasted against his Dark Jedi. Rolling his eyes, Revan eyed the four Jedi that stood before him with expressions ranging from horror to rage.

"You cannot win, Revan!"

An overconfident one hissed. Revan felt no humor in the matter as his eyes scanned the young woman, a girl really. The Dark Lord's hand found his crimson saber and depressed the switch, activating the deadly weapon in a flurry. The girl that had spoken with such confidence glared at the Dark Lord and prepared to strike when suddenly the ship shook violently. Revan remained standing and watched as the Jedi lay sprawled on the floor from the force of Malak's attack, his betrayal.

"So it ends, my friend."

Revan whispered as he used the Force to activate his vessel's weaponry. Moments later the Leviathan was engulfed in the turboblaster fire of Revan's much more powerful vessel. Revan closed his eyes, ignoring the Jedi as he felt Malak become one with the Force.

Bastila groaned as her eyes fluttered open. Above her she could see Darth Revan's mask staring at her and she involuntarily screamed as she jumped to her feet. All her confidence had fled her in the instant she was thrown to the ground and now she could see that her companions were in similar states of disarray. Revan had deactivated his saber and crossed his arms across his chest, staring at the Jedi in some dark amusement. Beyond the Dark Lord, Bastila could see the space battle had died down and that only a few Republic ships remained, though most were slowly being consumed by the swarm of Sith fire.

"Joval, you attack his right, I'll-"  
A Twilek Jedi Master started, but the headstrong youth she was speaking to rushed Revan with his azure saber, shouting a battlecry as he lunged for the Dark Lord. Revan remained motionless as the young Jedi's blade whizzed towards his head. The Dark Lord shifted to his side, avoiding the deadly saber by mere centimeters. Joval shifted to swing his saber into Revan's neck, only to feel iron grasp his wrist. Before he knew it, Revan had deflected his blow and was twisting his hand around his back. Crying out in pain, Joval suddenly silenced with a grunt as Revan twisted his arm into his back, slaying the Jedi with his own, still active weapon.

The Twilek Master stared in shock as Revan swept his leg under Joval's corpse, throwing him into the other Jedi Knight that had since moved to attack him. Joval's corpse knocked the Jedi to the ground in a daze. Before the Knight could stand, Revan's boot dropped onto his neck and a sickening crack sounded, ending his life. The Dark Lord of the Sith turned to his two remaining foes and brushed imaginary dust from his robes.

All rational thought had fled Bastila's mind as she watched the Dark Lord slay her companions with ease. She had not known the other Jedi. All she had known was that they were considered powerful and skilled. Bastila paled as Revan stood, glowering at her and the remaining Jedi Master.  
"Master Tavin."

Revan acknowledged the violet Twilek Jedi Master with a nod. The Jedi Master's violet skin paled as her headtails wrapped tightly around her neck. Even the sound of his powerful voice made Bastila want to drop to her knees and cry. Everything about this man spoke of power, unimaginable power and now that she was not so blind to the adrenaline rush that had driven her as she entered the bridge, Bastila felt the hopelessness of her situation.   
"R- Revan."

The Twilek Master nodded.

"Surrender."

The Twilek Master leveled her weapon.

"You know I can't do that, Revan."

Bastila stood aside as the Sith Lord and Jedi Master stared at each other.

"Then I have no choice."

Revan replied emotionlessly. Bastila moved for her weapon, but before she could intervene, the Jedi Master lay on the floor. A lightsaber wound in her chest. Slowly, Darth Revan turned to Bastila.

"A Padawan. Why would the Jedi Council send a mere Padawan to capture me?"

Revan hissed. Bastila refused to back down and crushed her rising fear as she recited the Jedi Code over and over in her mind.

"I will not be a prisoner for your perversions!"

Bastila snarled. For a moment, Revan appeared taken aback before his stance shifted and his shoulders shook with rage and power.

"You say that as if it is your choice."

Bastila did not reply, instead she raised her golden weapon in a defensive stance.

"No..."

Revan snapped with a wave of his hand, Bastila's weapon was wretched from her hand and flew into his.

"You are important in someway. I will not let you die."

Bastila barely had time to register the loss of her weapon and the Dark Lord's words before she saw him vanish from her view and felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck. Revan gently laid the unconscious form of the girl on the floor before him and stared down at her. She was beautiful, he had to admit and the way her azure eyes burned with passion had nearly clouded his judgement.

"Who are you, girl?"

Revan said softly as he allowed his gaze to linger on her for an instant.  
"Lord Revan!"

A voice barked from across the bridge. The Dark Lord of the Sith turned to the officer expectantly.

"The Republic forces have been broken and are retreating. Malak is confirmed dead along with Admiral Karath. His betrayal did not go unpunished, my Lord."

Revan nodded.

"Excellent. Prepare the fleet to return to the Star Forge... We have other business on Malachor V."

The Sith officer saluted Revan and hastily left the bridge as the Dark Lord turned his gaze back to the unconscious Jedi Padawan on his bridge. Revan's gaze shifted to the corpse of the Twilek Jedi Master he had killed. With a sigh, The Dark Lord knelt over her corpse and closed her eyes.

"Be at peace, my friend."

Revan's hand traveled to the woman's cloak and found the datapad stored within.

"Forgive me."

As the Dark Lord of the Sith read the datapad, his eyes shot to the unconscious Padawan lying on the cold floor of his bridge.

"Impossible!"

The Dark Lord held his hand over Bastila's form and closed his eyes. As soon as his eyes closed and he called on the Force, they snapped open in surprise. Within the girl he sensed a great well of power unlike anything he had ever felt before.

"So that is the power of Battle Meditation."

Revan whispered as he slowly stood and leered down at the fallen Padawan.

"You are the reason I am losing so many men!"

Revan snarled in anger. The Dark Lord took a moment to calm himself.

"No... I do not murder children."

The former Jedi felt his body tremble as a voice whispered in his mind.  
_"But you do murder children. You murder them by the thousands."_

The Dark Lord sneered at the voice.

"Shut up!"

Revan screamed.

"No... This. Needs. To. Be. Done."

Revan panted as he looked down to Bastila's unconscious form.

"And I need to harness your power, young one..."

Jedi Master Vrook Lamar looked on dejectedly as the Jedi Council and the Republic Military Council argue over the next course of action. Their gamble had failed. Darth Revan was still in power and their weapon, their only chance against the Sith, Bastila Shan was lost in the assault, either to the Force or the Sith, none knew.

"At least Malak was killed."

A Republic officer muttered. The Jedi Council fell silent and glared at the officer.

"There was still a chance he could have been saved. Even Revan could have been saved."

Vima Sunrider argued. The Republic officer scoffed at the Jedi Master.

"Always redemption with the Jedi. Is Malak ever going to be a threat again? He can't even be a martyr. He was killed in the act of betraying Revan and none of the other Sith would dare move against him now."

Jedi Master Atris, who had been silent until that moment spoke.

"I would not be so sure. Our spies report that Revan was injured and there are three other Sith Lords. Bandon, Sion and Nihilus, that are already moving to take control of the Sith. How do we know that they would be any better than Revan or Malak? Malak was a monster who slaughtered every world he captured, but Revan... Revan never believed in wasting anything."

Master Vrook's head snapped up at those words.

"What if he captured Bastila? What then?"

The Jedi Master snapped. A deep sigh drew the Jedi and Republic Councillor's attention to the shortest member of the Council.

"Then all is lost."

Revan's former Master Zhar and Atris spoke at the same time.

"Perhaps not."

"There is something more to this."

The two Jedi Masters looked to each other for a moment before Atris motioned to Zhar to speak.

"Revan was ambitious and confident. Something many other students and Masters saw as arrogance. My old apprentice was never sure of himself after Kreia was lost to us... I remember the last time we spoke. It was before he went to Malachor V. He said that he was losing control. Of what I do not know... But he was... livid."

Vrook snorted.

"Of course he was. He had fallen to the Darkside in the first battles of the war, we all sensed it."

Zhar glared at his comrade.

"That is not what I meant. Do not let your grief over your lost Padawan cloud your judgement."

Vrook jumped to his feet, his hands clenched into fists.

"Revan has devastated the Order and the Republic more than the Mandalorians and even Exar Kun have. He has now taken the last hope we had. I will speak as I wish of that demon."

Atris quickly interjected.

"What Master Leskin means is that Revan was trying to warn us... but we did nothing to stop him. He was testing us. The children of Yusanis speak highly of Revan, even after he murdered their father. Even little Brianna seems enthralled by the Dark Lord... There is something we do not see here. General Kenobi even saw it and tried to warn us but we would not listen... Now it is too late and all we have to trust our fate to is one that was lost to us..."

Zhar shook his head.

"He was testing us, yes. He was likely testing us when he sent Ian to us. But there was something else... Revan was fighting something when he spoke to me... It was as if he was not himself..."

Dorak Quinn furrowed his brow.

"I know nothing in the archives that speaks of Darkside possession in those terms. It changes the person, but it does not destroy who they were. The power grows and grows until it is beyond that person's control. Revan always was too powerful for his own good."

Nomi Sunrider shook her head.

"No, Zhar said that Revan was angry when he admitted this. From what I had seen of him, Revan prided himself on his control. If he was losing control he would have fought it. We all know Revan was never one to be controlled."

A sad smile played on Zhar's lips.

"That is true. He was angry yes... but there was something else... If I did not know him, I would say it was fear... but Revan was never afraid."

Atris' eyes narrowed.

"Yes... but he was uncertain... insecure. Insecurities develop into fear. Fear leads to anger and anger to hatred. Perhaps this is because of her."

"No."

Master Kavar snapped instantly.

"We cannot continue to cast blame on others. Kreia and Revan shared a strong bond. One that was crushed maliciously and nearly destroyed the boy. We should never have cast her from our ranks."

Lonne Vash nodded her agreement.

"We have seemed to be making a habit of turning a blind eye to our problems in recent years... perhaps that is what Revan saw."

Carth Onasi, who had been sitting silently in the room and listening to the conversations spoke finally. He had been the leader of the assault to capture Revan and the failure cut him deeply, though he gained some satisfaction in knowing that the murderer of his wife and son were killed there.

"I don't know what you people are talking about. But I do know that we could have used the Jedi's help during the Mandalorian wars and it was Revan that answered the call. I also know that you didn't do a damn thing until Revan forced your hand."

Carth ignored his superior officer making a gesture for him to stop speaking. The Jedi Masters all silently deliberated the Republic Commander's words.

"Revan seeks to destroy the Jedi Order and topple the Republic. His real war is against the Jedi Code."

Vima Sunrider spoke finally.

"This is something that none outside this Council have seen."

Vima motioned to Atris, who grudgingly pulled a holocron from her cloak and activated it.

"Revan sent this to us along with his General Kenobi. We Exiled Kenobi because of it."

The holocron began to glow and a blue figure appeared in tattered robes and armor.

"What do the Jedi do with that they do not understand. They shun it. What do the Jedi do when billions are dying? Nothing. What do the Jedi do with those that do not fall into their sacred standards to become Jedi? They cast them out or force them to become farmers and medics for the Republic. They make them slaves. What do the Jedi do with one of their own who falls in love. They cast them aside as if they were a disease and shun them. Masters of the Council know this. I do not intend to return to your ways. I offer the galaxy another choice. The galaxy would be so much better without the Force."

Even with the mask hiding his features, the men and women in the room could tell Revan was grinning manically.

"I send to you a man who was torn from the Force over Malachor V. The beautiful thing was... he did it to himself! The Jedi do nothing unless their hand is forced... I am forcing your hand now. In your grasp is a man who has the capacity to end the Force. A siphon like none that have existed for a thousand generations. Within Ian Kenobi is the solution to your arrogant Order. Take away the Force and what is a Jedi? Nothing. I will see the end of the Force and the end of the Jedi before I fall. The galaxy would be such a better place without the Force."

The holo deactivated and the Jedi Masters all appeared to be shaken, though they had already seen the holo before. The Republic Councillors looked unimpressed.

"How does he plan to _End the Force?"_

An ambassador argued skeptically.

"A Force siphon is of the Dark Side. It is an ancient weapon the ancient Sith used to drain the Force from their foes and strike them down when they were weakest. We also believe it is the way Revan is breaking so many Jedi so quickly. We teach our students to rely on the Force from the day they join the Order and to be blinded to it is... terrible..."

Carth Onasi furrowed his brow.

"I remember something Revan said once before he led us into battle over Serreco..."

All eyes turned to the Republic Commander.

"He was speaking to the Jedi when he did so, but.. He said: You have been born with these wonderful gifts and have been trained to use them. It is time now. To do otherwise would be a crime."

Zhar nodded his head.

"He said something similar to the Council when he argued our involvement in the war."

Atris shook her head along with several other Masters.

"It matters not. Revan can no longer harness Ian to do what he threatens. He is far away from here now."

Bastila Shan awoke in a dark chamber. The air around her was cool and dry and she quickly jumped to her feet in alarm when she could not feel the Force.

"Terrible isn't it?"

A deep voice sneered as she looked around the room in terror.

"Who- What-"

Darth Revan smirked cruelly.

"The who is me."

The voice echoed through the room, giving Bastila the impression that it was a large and cavernous area.

"As for the what..."

A dim light activated, illuminating Darth Revan's figure as he stalked towards Bastila.

"This is a lesson young one."

Bastila trembled slightly, but refused to back down from the Dark Lord.

"What is this lesson, Sith."

Bastila hissed as she narrowed her eyes. Revan smirked as the lighting in the room raised to reveal a cavernous and empty room.

"I am going to teach you the flaws of the Jedi Order, Bastila Shan."

Bastila paled visibly at the mention of her name, but said nothing as she glared silently at the Dark Lord of the Sith.

"I will not fall. I will not be a tool for your use, Sith."

The Padawan spat with false bravado. Revan tilted his head to the side and clapped his hands together mockingly, allowing the sound to echo through the caverns.

"Many have eaten those words, Padawan."

Revan sneered as he slowly stalked towards the Jedi.


	2. Chapter 2: Flaws

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Explanation: What if Malak's attack failed to kill Darth Revan? I have to give major props to Tinuveil Undomeil as well as xInuyashaxAngelx for inspiration. I suggest you check out their stories _Captivated_ and_ The Change of Destiny_.

Chapter 2: Flaws

Bastila backed away from Revan as he advanced, her mind frantically searching for the Force's comfort. Her constant companion since the time she had joined the Order, her comfort, was nowhere to be found. The seemingly endless power of the Force was at the mercy of the man before her. Shuddering, Bastila stopped backing away and glared venomously at Darth Revan.

"Coward!"

She hissed. Revan's form ceased its advance and the Dark Lord became rigid. The room was filled with a deafening silence, though Bastila could make out the heavy breaths from the Dark Lord.

"YOU DARE TO CALL ME A COWARD!"

Revan roared. Bastila scowled and glared with open hatred towards Revan.

"You would not even face me on even ground. What have you done? Given me an injection? A Force disruptor collar?"

The Dark Lord was poised to strike as he spoke.

"No, child. It is this place. It strips away the lies and leaves only who you are. It was here that I learned the most important lesson of my life. And it was here that I taught Malak and the others the flaw of the Jedi Order."

Bastila narrowed her eyes dangerously and crossed her arms across her chest.

"As I recall, Malak is dead."

Bastila prepared for the assault from the Dark Lord, but none came. Revan stared at her as motionless as a statue and turned on his heel, leaving the Padawan in the dim light of the cavern.

"I will see you in the morning, Padawan Shan. For now think over your predicament and make peace with the Force if you can."

Bastila waited in the dark cavern for hours, wondering where exactly she was. The loss of the Force had left her unbalanced. It was like waking up without an arm and her disorientation was quickly turning to fear.

"Why did he leave me here?"

Bastila asked the darkness of the room. As she suspected, only her echo answered. A hissing noise was heard and Bastila suddenly felt as if she was being watched.

"Hello? Who's there?"

A chuckle answered her as an elderly woman clad in obsidian robes with a pale mask approached her.

"Ah, you must be the brat that has my apprentice in such a foul mood."

Bastila stared into the woman's eyes. The pupils had expanded and all she could see was darkness. Shuddering involuntarily, Bastila frowned.

"You're apprentice?"

She asked. The old woman sighed.

"Yes, Revan has been quite the handful. He has already chased away Lord Nihilus and I fear Lord Sion will soon follow."

Bastila could vaguely recall the names from a briefing she had received. It was believed by the Jedi Council that a power vacuum would occur between the most powerful Sith Lords remaining. Nihilus and Sion had been mentioned, though none of the Jedi knew of them.

"What does Revan want with me?"

Bastila asked, curious as to why she had yet to be tortured physically. Darth Traya stared at Bastila thoughtfully.

"Why for you to understand..."  
She replied cryptically. Bastila frowned, wondering why she felt she could trust this elderly woman.

"Understand what?"

Bastila asked. Kreia simply smiled.

"You are young, Bastila. You will learn in time."

The cryptic response sent a warning alarm off in Bastila's mind.

_"That sounds almost too much like a Jedi Master."_

Bastila's eyebrow shot up at that thought.

"You said your... apprentice?"

Kreia's smile vanished, replaced by an expression of indifference.

"Ah, I suppose that is not entirely true. Sion is my apprentice as Revan was once..."

Bastila felt her cheeks flush with anger.

"Then you are the one who trained him?"

This was important, Bastila knew that the Council had no idea where Revan had learned so much of the Darkside so quickly and this may have been its source.

"I trained Revan in the ways of the Jedi. And I was exiled because of them. He found me later, dying on some distant world when I chose to fight the Mandalorians and brought me with him."

Darth Traya gave a cold smile.

"Where Revan learned his power, I do not know. But I do know it was not from a Jedi."

Bastila stared at the woman for a moment before Traya turned and left the Padawan alone once more.

_"Revan's Jedi Master? But I thought his Master was Zhar..."_

Bastila remained in the cool and dark chamber for hours, not knowing what to think. She had tried for a time to find a way out, but whatever entrance Revan and Traya had used to enter had vanished. Again, Bastila heard the hissing noise and looked around frantically.

"Someone's been busy."

The voice leered. Bastila searched the room frantically for anything she could use as a weapon, growling in frustration when she could find nothing.

"Who's there?"

Bastila asked, not liking the fact that whoever was with her could see her but she could not see him. There was something about the voice that seemed vaguely familiar, though she could not place it.

"Why Bastila my dear, don't tell me you've forgotten?"

The Padawan's eyes narrowed in concentration and anger as she searched the room and caught sight of two golden pools of light.

"You've found me."

The voice mocked as the figure stalked into the dim lighting. The man wore obsidian robes similar to a Jedi's and a black cloak with knee high boots and leather gauntlets. Even in the dim lighting, Bastila could tell his skin was pale, though not corrupted by the darkside like many other Sith.

"Who are you?"

Bastila asked as she slowly settled into a defensive stance. The man merely smirked and eyed Bastila. The Padawan paled slightly as she caught the implication.

"I could do whatever I wanted... and you would be defenseless. No one would hear you and no one would know..."

The man stepped closer to Bastila and his smirk widened.

"So what are you going to do, Jedi?"

Bastila's mind searched frantically for an answer.

_"Dammit if I only had the Force."_

The man's smirk turned to a scowl.

"Very well, do nothing."

Bastila felt the blood drain from her face as the man lunged for her and knocked her to the ground. An iron grip formed around her throat and her scream died in her throat. Bastila stared at the man with wide, frightened eyes. The man seemed to look away for a moment before he turned back and smirked again.

"What can you do now, Jedi?"

Bastila felt her cheeks flushing once more with anger.  
"Don't..."  
She whispered. The man's smirk vanished, replaced by a frown.

"But why? Because you can do anything about it?"

The man ran a hand across Bastila's face and she shuddered from the contact, trying to shrink away from his touch.

"Because its wrong..."

Bastila's voice was so soft that it was barely heard by the man. The man seemed to contemplate this for a moment before he smiled. The smile was cold and calculative and held so much malice that Bastila found it doubtful that he would stop.

"Don't what, Padawan?"

The man asked as he lifted Bastila's Padawan braid and rubbed it between his thumb and finger. When she did not respond, the man shifted his weight, so she could not move and tightened his grasp on her throat slightly before letting her catch her breath.

"Don't what, Padawan?"

The man snarled. Bastila fought for worlds, but her mind had formed a blank and all she could think of was the fear at what this man was going to do to her, here.

"Please... don't rape me. Just kill me, please."

Bastila allowed herself that one time to be weak. Hoping and praying to the Force that this man would choose to be just that and listen to her pleas. Bastila looked away from the man, not wanting to see his reaction. She felt his body tense at the words and prepared herself for the worst.

"Is that why you think I am here, Bastila?"

The man's voice was soft, almost comforting. Almost. Bastila felt the man's grasp on her throat vanish as well as his weight. The man loomed over her for a moment.

"In this room, the Force has abandoned you. The Jedi do not know you exist. The only ones who know fo you are your enemies. Whatever fears you have forget them. Whatever nightmares you believe are coming true forget them. They are all real. Your life is about to become a living hell and the Jedi will not do a damn thing about it. As for the Force..."

The figure looked around the room with his red-rimmed golden eyes.

"The Force does not exist here."

Bastila had managed to force herself to sit up and stared up at the man's dark figure.

"I and whoever else can come in here can do whatever we want to you."

The man pulled a small holdout blaster from his cloak and tossed it towards Bastila.

"That is your first lesson. Remember it. I will see you tonight... On even ground."

The Padawan stared at the man's retreating form as he vanished darkly into the shadows. The hiss was again heard, though no light entered the room and Bastila could not even make out what direction it had come from. Bastila's eyes rested on the small blaster the man had left with her and a realization fell over her. It was morning.

_"Force, that was Revan..."_

Kreia stared at the monitors as Bastila's form slowly and cautiously lifted the blaster. She watched as the Padawan fired several shots to test the weapon and several more to light the room and search for anything.

"That was not a wise move."

She hissed as Revan entered the room. The Dark Lord turned his golden eyes to Traya.

"You and I cannot stand watch over her indefinitely and I seek to teach her... not break her."

Kreia said nothing.

"What would you have done, had I not been watching?"

Kreia asked after several minutes of silence. Revan stared at the monitor and ran his hand over the small image of Bastila.

"I may not be able to control all of my actions, Master."

Revan hissed.

"But I can control that."

The Dark Lord finished. Traya nodded.

"Good... You're obsession with this little one is unhealthy, Padawan."

Revan's eyes flickered for a moment before he turned to Kreia and blinked.

"She would be valuable... priceless."

Kreia smirked coldly.

"You are developing a weakness, Revan."

Darth Revan turned slowly to his former Master.

"Go back to the Trayus Core. Make sure Sion doesn't act up."

Traya narrowed her dark eyes.

"My presence will have little to do with his actions."

Kreia hissed. Revan ignored the comment and stared at the monitors.

"She is strong... but she will fall."

Revan whispered. Kreia stopped before she walked through the doors.

"All fall in the end. In their own way..."

Revan rolled his eyes.

"Cryptic as always."

Revan smirked.

"Go home, Master."

Kreia shook her head.

"You control a fifth of the galaxy's resources and have cut the Jedi Order in two but you are still that fool of a little boy I found on that Force-forsaken world."

Revan chuckled.

"And you love me for it."

Kreia smiled slightly, but did not speak as she left the room. Revan sighed and seated himself as he stared at Bastila. For some reason the Padawan had stopped searching for a way out of the room and was lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Revan ran his hand over the girl's image as he whispered.

"Tonight."

Bastila eyed the holdout blaster warily.

"At least it didn't explode when I shot it..."

The Padawan wondered briefly why Revan would give her the means to escape.

"I could simply kill him the next time he walked in here..."

The Padawan's mind went to the face of the Dark Lord. She couldn't help but think how wrong it all seemed. The pale skin, not the dead gray of the walking corpses she had seen of Sith Lords and the eyes. The eyes did not hold malice or hunger, they held something she could not quite fathom.

Revan rubbed his eyes tiredly and sighed as they flashed for a moment and became a deep brown. The Dark Lord did not enjoy the feeling that ran through him when he did that. Shuddering, Revan pulled on his mask and armor and stretched. His eyes traveled to the monitor where it appeared that Bastila was examining the pack on her blaster.

"Everyone has a weakness that can be exploited... an insecurity..."

The Sith Lord was not particularly concerned about Bastila's safety. As a Jedi she had been trained in advanced martial arts and even without the Force she should prove to be a deadly foe. None of the other Sith would go into that chamber, fearing the loss of the Force. Revan allowed a smirk to play on his lips.

"Why they all think it was me doing it to them I will never know."

Adjusting his armor once more, Revan stalked down the corridors, towards Bastila's cell. As he had suspected, the Padawan had the blaster trained on him as soon as he entered.

"I thought you said we would meet on even ground?"

Bastila snarled as she leveled the blaster on his mask. Revan laughed darkly.

"You have a weapon, I have armor. I'd say that is even ground."

Bastila scowled for a moment before she tilted her head slightly.

"But I can't see your face, you can see mine."

She hissed. Revan was silent for a moment, searching for a particular reason as to why he didn't want her to see his face. The only ones who truly knew what he looked like were the Jedi Council, Kreia, some red-haired Mandalorian child, an old man on Kashyyyk and now Bastila. All the others were long dead.

"Yes but I-"

Revan stopped suddenly, his eyes widening beneath his mask. Before Bastila could retort, Revan rushed from the room. Frowning, Bastila lowered her blaster.

"Where is he off to?"

She wondered aloud. Revan rushed through the caverns and corridors of the Trayus academy, on his way to the Trayus Core. How he had been able to still feel the bond while cut off from the Force, he did not know but he was grateful he could and he only hoped he could arrive before it was too late.

Darth Sion crushed Darth Traya's face in his iron grip as he lifted her from the floor and slammed her into the wall. Behind him, Darth Nihilus stood with his arms crossed as he blocked Kreia's hold on the Force. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps cause Nihilus to turn. Darth Revan rushed down the corridor, his crimson blade burning in his hand as he rushed Nihilus. Nihilus barely had time to raise his weapon to block Revan's furious blow.

_"Finish this."_

The Sith Lord shouted to Sion in his twisted language. Sion looked over his shoulder to see Revan getting the better of his companion and growled as he dropped Kreia's beaten body.

"There are so many fates worse than death I would have forced you through... But we do not have the time, Master."

Sion brought his saber into Kreia's head as Revan let out a roar of pain and collapsed to the ground. Nihilus lowered his weapon and gasped from his exertion. Darth Sion approached Nihilus' side and looked down on the form of Revan as he clutched the sides of his head and sputtered in his pain.

"This will have to do for now. Make sure you don't kill him."

Sion cautioned his fellow Sith Lord. Nihilus made what sounded like laughter and lifted Revan's form from the ground, throwing him across the Trayus Core and beside Kreia's corpse.

"You were the one who gave me to her... You are the one who must suffer."

Sion unleashed a lightning attack against Revan, causing the Dark Lord to writhe in pain. Nihilus soon joined in as they made certain to cause only enough damage so as not to kill him. After several hours, the Sith Lord tired of their game. Sion prepared to strike down Revan, but was stopped by Nihilus' voice.

_"Leave him, he has little time left and the Star Forge awaits us."_

Sion lowered his weapon and looked down onto Revan's motionless body.

"Just to be certain..."

Sion raised his left hand and watched with satisfaction as blue-white lightning coursed around Revan.

_"Enough, Bandon awaits us on Korriban."_

Sion nodded, lowering his hand and following his companion. Across the galaxy, Darth Bandon was eliminating officers and Dark Jedi loyal to Revan. The Sith Master smirked as he sliced a Sith trooper's head off.

"I hope Nihilus and Sion are finished with Traya and Revan by now."

Bandon laughed as he exited the quarters of the late Sith Admiral, taking a ship to Korriban to meet with his conspirators.

Darth Revan felt only pain as he lay on the ground of the Trayus core. The former Jedi grunted with effort as he forced his battered and burned body to sit up. Revan's mind was raw from the loss of the bond he shared with Kreia and he could barely stay conscious. Looking across the Core, Revan felt his breathing hitch as he saw Kreia's battered corpse. With newfound strength, Revan crawled over to Kreia's corpse, tears hidden beneath his mask as he rested his hand over the gaping wound that was once her face. Revan closed what remained of Kreia's eyes with his hands and trembled in pain and rage.

"I. Should. Have. Seen. It."

Revan felt began taking in heavy breaths, panting as his mind went numb. At that moment, Revan let loose all of his rage and anguish in a roar that sent the Storm beasts of Malachor V running.

Bastila's head shot up as she sat in her prison. She could vaguely feel the Force beyond her reach and there was a pain, a trauma running through it that sickened her. Shuddering, Bastila drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them, staring in the direction Revan had disappeared. An echo sounded in the cavern. It was not loud, almost barely audible, but the misery and wrath in that sound was enough to cause Bastila to jump slightly.

"What the Force was that?"

Darth Revan held Kreia's body tightly in his grasp, feeling himself lose his connection to the conscious world, he collapsed beside his fallen Master.


	3. Chapter 3: Blinded

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 3: Blinded

Darth Revan awoke above the body of his Master. The Dark Lord took only a moment to show his respect to his fallen Master before he forced himself to move.

_"Nihilus and Sion must have left me to die here..."_

Staring down at Kreia's corpse, Revan entertained the thought of just lying there and waiting for death to take him.

_"Not like anyone would miss me..."_

Revan smirked slightly at the thought. Of all the deeds he had done, he never regretted anything.

_"I have nothing to be ashamed of..."_

The Dark Lord's smirk turned quickly to a frown.

_"Except being born..."_

Struggling to his feet, Revan took a moment to center himself. The Force was distant to him and the Dark Lord leaned against the wall, looking back to Kreia's body.

"I am sorry, Master. I wasn't fast enough..."

The Dark Lord struggled for a moment before leaving Kreia's body where it lay.

_"Perhaps I do regret some things..."_

Revan pondered his own thoughts in an attempt to keep his mind off the blinding pain that coursed through his body with each movement. Moving as quickly as his damaged body could take him through the Trayus academy, Revan barely avoided the regular patrols and Dark Jedi within. The Dark Lord paused to catch his breath, suddenly feeling nauseated.

_"It must have been the bond..."_

Pain entered Revan's head, but was crushed beneath the brutal onslaught of rage that accompanied that thought. Kreia had been like a mother to him and she had been repaid for her kindness to him by ridicule and exile from the Jedi and now death from the Sith that he had created. Beyond the painful loss of his Master and the Bond they shared, Revan felt something more, something that frightened him.

Slowly raising his hand, Revan concentrated on a nearby rock, calling on the Force to move the small object. Struggling with the rock for a moment, Revan felt a mind splitting pain shoot through his mind and dropped his concentration.

_"What the hell?"  
_Cursing under his breath, Revan leaned against the wall until the pain and nausea subsided.

_"So this is what Ian felt like..."_

The Dark Lord of the Sith seated himself painfully on the floor, still feeling the results of Nihilus and Sion's attacks. The Force had abandoned Darth Revan and left him broken within the center of his enemy's power. Laughing bitterly, Revan shook his head.

"I suppose this would be considered poetic justice..."

Revan had never wanted to be cut off from the Force, his plan had been to use Ian to cut the Jedi from the Force, then with Ian he could decide who would be able to use the Force.

"Then no one would be able to stand aside with those gifts when others needed their help..."

Revan muttered to himself as his thoughts carried him away from reality.

_"Can anyone wield that power responsibly? Certainly not you..."_

The Dark Lord furrowed his brow as he tried to regain his breath. He suddenly felt a cold dread settle in his stomach.

_"What would Nihilus and Sion do to the galaxy? Force!"_

Revan felt a shred of fear enter his mind. His war on the Jedi had unfortunately spilled over and onto the Republic. He could not ignore the fact that he had spent most of his life upholding the Republic's values. Sneering, Revan fought the internal battle to give up and staggered towards the cavern Bastila Shan resided in.  
Bastila jumped as light spilled into her cavernous prison. Shakily raising her blaster she spotted the armored form of Darth Revan.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you, Sith Lord!"

Bastila spat as she leveled the blaster on the Sith Lord with newfound confidence. Being able to see her escape route filled her with hope. As she glared at Revan her eyes scanned the slumped posture of the Dark Lord as he held his chest as if in pain. The Dark Lord's breathing reached the Padawan's ears as a ragged gasping.   
"Because I am freeing you."

Revan panted between gasps. Bastila furrowed her brow in confusion as her hold on the holdout blaster loosened. Revan flinched as pain shot through his body. He could see Bastila cringe as the scent of his burned flesh reached her senses.

"Force, what happened!"

Bastila gasped as she saw the darker patches along Revan's crimson armor where he had bled through and the ragged appearance. Revan stumbled for a moment as he fought to remain conscious.  
"We must go, now."

Revan turned, heading back into the corridor. Bastila looked around her prison and pondered if this was all a hoax who's purpose was to lull her into trusting the Dark Lord. After spending days in the bleak darkness of her prison, Bastila followed Revan without further hesitation.

_"Anything is better than this hole."_

As the Padawan followed the Dark Lord it became more and more apparent to her that Revan was likely not going to make it to wherever they were going.

"Are you alright?"

Bastila asked guardedly. Revan chose to continue struggling through the caverns instead of taking the energy to respond. Angry, Bastila asked again, louder.

"Are you alright?"

Bastila asked with more force. Revan stopped his trek, leaning against a wall and regaining his breath as pain shot through him.

"No, not much farther."

The Padawan kept her blaster trained on Revan, slowly feeling the Force returning. Bastila stopped for a moment to revel in the Force's comfort before she sensed Revan. What she sensed nearly overloaded her mind as the pain and anguish mixed with rage flooded her mind. Revan's loss of the Force had brought down all the barriers he had carefully built during his time as a Jedi and the Dark Lord leaving all the horrors of Darth Revan to fill Bastila's mind.

Almost unconsciously, Bastila reached out and touched Revan's shoulder. The Dark Lord hissed as he jolted in pain. Revan turned angrily to Bastila and was surprised to see the sympathy etched in her young features.  
"How-"

Bastila began. Revan sneered through his mask and turned, nearly falling from the effort.

"Leave me be, Jedi."

Revan snapped, moving as swiftly as he could towards the private landing bay.

Several minutes later a small yacht rose from the landing bay and disappeared into the Malachor sky. Darth Revan leaned over the control panels, breathing heavily as he clenched his fists. Kreia and Malak were dead, leaving the Sith Empire to Nihilus, Sion and Bandon. The burning rage continued to build in Revan, shadowing the sorrow he felt over the loss of his Master and ever so briefly, Revan felt the Force within his grasp. Just as quickly as it was there, it was gone and Revan felt his head swell with pain as he doubled over and collapsed to the floor.

Bastila stared down at the collapsed form of Darth Revan with surprise. The pain she felt emanating from him was nearly unbearable and the anger... she had never felt an anger so focused or so strong. Turning away momentarily, Bastila noticed the ship was still flying through space and programmed the coordinates for Dantooine into the ship's nav computer before sending the ship into hyperspace. Turning back to her unconscious captor, Bastila frowned as she felt the last thing she expected to feel for this man. Compassion.

Gently, Bastila used the Force to raise Revan's body from the floor and carefully levitated the unconscious Dark Lord through the corridors of the yacht and into what looked like a medical bay. Seeing the kolto tank, Bastila assumed that was the room purpose and gently lowered Revan onto a medical couch. A pained groan emanated from the unconscious Sith Lord and Bastila tensed as she raised her blaster. Revan stirred for a moment but fell silent as his tattered cloak fell over the edges of the medical bed.

"I'm going to regret this..."

Bastila muttered as she made her way to a compartment and removed a container that held a number of sedatives. Measuring a small amount of sedative, Bastila injected Revan to make certain he wouldn't awaken and slowly pulled back his hood, cringing as the smell of burned flesh and hair reached her nose. Swallowing the bile that rose in her throat, Bastila undid the clasp on Revan's mask and pulled the cortosis helm away. The Padawan's eyes widened as she dropped the mask on the floor and gasped.

The man's flesh was torn and burned, his handsome features nearly unrecognizable. Bastila suddenly shook her head from the thought.

_"Handsome? Where did that come from?"_

Frowning, Bastila peeled away the Dark Lord's armor to find more battered and burned sections of skin. Revan's obsidian robes were stained with dried blood and burned in many places. Bastila guessed that he had been struck with a Force lightning attack, though she had never seen wounds so severe as these. Turning to the kolto tank, Bastila was surprised when she saw that it was instead a more advanced bacta tank. Shaking her head from the thoughts, Bastila turned back to Revan and removed his boots and his gauntlets before removing his belt.

The Padawan flushed momentarily as she held the edges of Revan's robes. Taking a moment to center herself, Bastila pulled away Revan's burned garments and cringed as the matted robes clung to Revan's wounds. Pulling with slightly more Force, Bastila nearly vomited when the fabric came clear of Revan's body with a sickening scratching noise as blood flowed freely from his newly opened wounds. Acting quickly, the Padawan used the Force to lift Revan into the bacta tank. Taking a moment to examine Revan's wounds, Bastila placed a breathing mask over the Dark Lord's mouth and sealed the bacta tank, watching the teal healing liquid fill the pod and obscure Revan's form slightly.

Leaning onto the medical couch, Bastila sighed in relief. For some reason it felt right saving this man's life. The blue-eyed Padawan searched the ship for a change of clothing, finding a gray set of robes and a cloak the Padawan stepped into a refresher to clean away several days worth of grime. Satisfied with her cleanliness, Bastila made her way to the ship's galley and hungrily devoured her first meal in several days.

Exhausted, Bastila gave one last check of the yacht's course before she made her way to the small med bay and checked on the sleeping Sith Lord. Revan's wounds had stopped bleeding and the teal liquid was dark from the blood floating within. Checking the Dark Lord's vitals, Bastila seated herself on a chair and stared Revan, pulling her gray cloak around herself as a chill ran up her spine.

After convincing herself Revan would not break through the bacta tank and murder her, Bastila forced herself into an uneasy sleep.

Jedi Master Vrook Lamar jumped with a start when he sensed his Padawan's presence. Rising from his kneeling position, the Jedi Master allowed his mind to clear from its previous meditation and tracked Bastila's location. Vrook was a little more than surprised when he sensed his Padawan in orbit around Dantooine. Rushing to the Council chambers, Vrook noted that Zhar, Dorak and Vandar were present.

"So you sensed her?"

Vrook asked in a slightly apprehensive tone. Vandar nodded as he waved his hand to activate a communications holo. After several minutes of nothing, Vrook's patience wore thin.

"Why isn't she answering?"

Zhar rubbed the base of his chin in thought.

"Perhaps she was injured. Out last reports placed her in the hands of Darth Revan. It would not be surprising."

Vrook nodded his agreement and quickly made his way to a transport, taking the shuttle into the atmosphere and docking with Bastila's ship, which the Jedi Master noted with disdain appeared to be Revan's personal yacht.

Vrook quickly made his way through the hatch of Revan's yacht, making his way to the faint presence of his Padawan. What greeted Vrook was something he could not place. Bastila lay on the floor, a cloak laid beneath her head as a makeshift pillow and a small bruise on her forehead. Nearby a bacta tank was shattered and the healing fluid lay splattered on the floor of the ship's medical bay. Vrook quickly checked Bastila's pulse and was relieved to discover she was only unconscious. The Jedi Master's heart nearly stopped when he caught sight of Revan's bloodstained armor.

Surprised, Vrook examined the armor before making his way the to yacht's cockpit and checking the ship's logs. Vrook was even more confused to learn that the ship had dropped out of hyperspace over Nar Shadda and an escape pod was launched. The ship had been placed on auto pilot to return to Dantooine. Shaking his head, Vrook frowned deeply before he programmed the vessel to dock with the Enclave landing pad and made his way back to Bastila's unconscious form.

Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan awoke with a groan of discomfort. Bringing her hand to her forehead, Bastila flinched as her hand ran across a small bruise."Be careful, Padawan."

A voice called quietly. Bastila's eyes shot open in surprise as she sat up quickly and stared at her Master, Vrook.

"Master!"

Bastila exclaimed in surprise. The last thing she had remembered was waking from her slumber to a crashing noise and slipping clumsily on the spilled bacta and banging her head on a medical couch. The Padawan took a moment to regain her bearings before she furrowed her brow.

"Where is Revan?"

Vrook's brow shot up at the remark and the Jedi Master narrowed his eyes.

"Revan was on that ship?"

Vrook asked quietly. Bastila nodded, rubbing the tender bruise as she blinked several times. Vrook's confusion grew at the strange situation.

_"Why would Revan allow Bastila to return to Dantooine?"_

It had been only a week since Bastila had been sent on the mission to capture Darth Revan and Vrook did not think his Padawan could be broken that quickly though he shuddered at the thought of what Revan had done to her.

"You were alone on the transport. An escape pod had been launched near Nar Shadda and it was set to take you here..."

Vrook said in a confused tone. Bastila raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her medical couch with a sigh.

"The Council would like to speak with you whenever you are ready... if you need mind healers-"

"I don't need any mind healers."

Bastila snapped. Vrook gave Bastila a skeptical look.

"What happened?"

Vrook asked testily. Bastila cringed at the impatient tone.

"Revan killed the rest of my team with ease and knocked me unconscious. I was taken to a hidden Sith base where I was cut off from the Force. Revan and another Sith Master spoke with me, trying to convince me to see the galaxy through their point of view and then one day, Revan came in, wounded and told me he was letting me go... Revan was seriously injured and I believe there was a coup wherever we were..."

Vrook nodded.

"Our spies reported that Revan had been injured by our assault team-"

"No, he was perfectly healthy."

Bastila added. Vrook shrugged.

"There are now three Sith Lords vying for power. Sion, Nihilus and Bandon."

Bastila recognized on of the names.

"The other Sith Master that spoke to be mentioned something about Revan chasing away Lord Nihilus and something about preparing to be rid of Sion... They may have been the ones to betray Revan."

Vrook nodded.

"If they had believed Revan to be injured it would have left them an invaluable opportunity. We know little to nothing about Nihilus and Sion. All the Council had gathered is that they were under the watch of a Darth Traya."

Bastila nodded.

"That must have been that old woman."

Vrook's head snapped up at that comment.

"What old woman?"

Bastila sighed for a moment, rubbing her eyes.

"The Sith master that spoke to me. She said that she was Sion's Master... The strange thing is she said she was once Revan's Master as well..."

The weary Padawan turned to see her Master with an alarmed expression.  
"Do you think she was a part of Revan's betrayal?"

Vrook asked, wondering if Kreia would betray her own Padawan. The Council had thought Kreia had been killed in the Mandalorian wars but if what Bastila was saying was accurate, Vrook could only ponder the consequences. Bastila frowned and shook her head.

"She did not seem... malicious..."

Bastila took a long, steadying breath.

"She actually tried to comfort me... it was... very strange."

Vrook gazed at his Padawan with surprise etched in his features. Under other circumstances, Bastila would have found it humorous to see anything but anger on her normally cold and snappy Master.

"Do you think she was the one who trained Revan?"

Bastila immediately shook her head.

"No... she seemed to think that Revan had surpassed her. The way she spoke it seemed that Revan had learned the Sith arts from somewhere else..."

Vrook nodded, standing.

"Rest, Padawan. The Council will speak of this in the morning when you are more fully recovered."

Bastila nodded gratefully, leaning back into her medical couch and drifting into the first peaceful sleep she had had in nearly a two weeks. The Padawan's last conscious thought before sleep took her was why Revan had allowed her to escape, or more precisely, why Revan had facilitated her return to the Jedi.

In the slums of Nar Shadda a figure stood in the shadows, leaning against a wall. Scanning the multiple refugees and aliens, Darth Revan pulled the hood of his obsidian cloak over his head and licked his lips in annoyance. He was stuck on the smuggler's moon with only a lightsaber, a holdout blaster and the robes on his back. Muttering a string of profanities, Revan briefly considered activating one of his various bank accounts for some extra credits before throwing the idea aside. Without the Force, he was more exposed than he liked and without his armor he felt almost naked.

_"I'll stick to the shadows for the time being. Find a way to dig up some credits. There's no telling who can be tracking my old bank accounts."_

The Dark Lord ran a hand across his newly healed face. The bacta had prevented scarring from Nihilus and Sion's treachery. Glaring upward to the stars, Darth Revan swore vengeance against the Sith Lords for their betrayal and more importantly to him, the loss of his Master Kreia and the Force.

_"I don't need the Force to kill those cowards!"_

Revan's mind screamed. Stalking through the refugee sector of Nar Shadda, Revan avoided speaking with the locals, heading directly for the local Exchange office. A slow smirk played across Revan's features.

_"Force or no, I'm still a Mandalorian!" _

The former Lord of the Sith looked down for a moment to his right arm, seeing past the obsidian cloak and tunic to the symbol of his long-dead Clan.

_"Mandalore is gone and my people are avenged."_

The former Sith Lord took a moment to allow that thought to comfort him before he persuaded an Exchange thug to let him speak with the local Exchange boss.

**Author's Notes:** And there you have it, the long awaited third chapter of Darkest Knight. I hope you all enjoyed it and I am sure a few of you are getting an idea of where I am going with this.


	4. Chapter 4: Slavery

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 4: Slavery

Revan's employment with the Exchange lasted about as long as his friendship with Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus. Being a slave as a child had given the once Dark Lord a burning hatred of slavery. He did not even allow it within his own Empire though it was practiced my many fools who found themselves at the end of HK-47's blaster rifle. The Exchange presence on Nar Shadda, said to be its base of operations vanished nearly overnight. Even without the Force, Revan was still a force to be reckoned with. His nearly unhuman reaction time encoded in his Mandalorian blood and perfected by years of Jedi and Sith training had given him the advantage of near premonition. Revan was as quick as ever and the Exchange thugs stood no chance.   
The slaves were the first Revan freed, killing their captors without mercy and deaf to their pleas. The scum had offered him money, power, women, even men and it did not half Revan's massacre. Body parts lay severed from torsos, the features of the Exchange member's faces frozen in terror. A shield Revan had raided from a corpse was his defense against blasters and his quick reaction time got him clear of many grenades. Revan moved from the slave pens to the dozens of hostages the Exchange held, freeing them as well and ignoring their thanks. He had not done this for them, but for himself. He could not tolerate slavery or the scum of the Exchange.

Moving deeper and deeper within the Exchange compound, Revan set his dark eyes upon something unforgivable. A young red-haired girl, she was so small in Revan's eyes. Was being dragged from a cell and was lying on the floor, beaten while her captors laughed at her, removing their armor and garments. The crimson light of Revan's saber caused the scum to cease their laughter. Three human males, various ages stared at Revan in shock. The former Dark Lord's hood was up, giving him the appearance of a dark specter. His face was shadowed within the cowl and his eyes gleamed crimson from his saber's glow. Raising an arm towards the scum, Revan spoke in a low and deadly voice.

"You, you, and you."

Revan brought his hand to point at each of the startled men.

"Die."

Within a split second, each of the men lay on the floor, clutching to the wounds in the center of their legs. Revan kicked the nearest man with a look of utter disgust. The Dark Lord drove his crimson saber into the man's abdomen and then moved to the next, allowing their cries of pain and pleas for death to fall on deaf ears. The same as they would have granted the young girl that lay motionless on the floor.

Revan approached the girl, clipping his saber to his belt and removing his cloak. With compassion he had not held since he had been a Jedi, Revan gently lifted the girl and scanned her young body and the tattered and torn garments she wore. She had to have been a refugee child, a slave from his war. For the first time since he had chosen to make war on the Jedi, Darth Revan felt shame. All his efforts on the front against what he saw as the corrupted and stagnant Jedi Order had done nothing for those like this girl. The innocent.

Darth Revan covered the girl with his obsidian cloak to spare her modesty. Still hearing the pained cries of the three _men_ Revan wished he still held on to the Force so he could prolong the men's deaths for days, torturing them until they were driven insane from pain.

Resigning them to their fate, Revan lifted the girl gently and carried her to a quieter area where he could administer any medical treatment she might need. Setting the girl down on a small cot, Revan removed the cloak and treated the girl's injures with a looted medpack. Revan's hands began to tremble with anger as he continued his task. This was something he had seen during the wars and was not something he enjoyed. Cleaning the wounds and wiping the grime away from the girl's face, Revan felt his blood run cold as he gazed at the girl's unconscious form.

Standing, Revan walked to a nearby refresher and soaked the cloth he was using to clean her face. Returning, the former Dark Lord continued to wipe away the grime covering the girl's face, a pain settling in his heart.

_"Force how could this be possible?"  
_Revan stood and turned away, not wanting to see the evidence of his own corruption. He could remember her name now, Mira. She had been a slave three years earlier on a Mandalorian vessel and her parents and all her relatives had been killed either during the raid she was captured in or over Malachor V.

_"She was eleven then..."_

Revan noted. He had taken her in for a short time, having her stay on his flagship while he made arrangements with the Republic to send her to a refugee camp in the hopes of finding her family. She was one of a choice few who knew his face. Shaking his head in disgust, Revan allowed himself a small satisfaction at the knowledge that he had destroyed a significant section of the Republic. An incoherent mumble drew Revan's attention back to the girl.

"No.."

Mira mumbled in her sleep, beginning to thrash violently. Seeing that she would reopen some of her bandaged wounds and possibly injure herself, Revan raced to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. The result was instant. Two emerald eyes shot open in fear and the girl's other hand raised, pointing as if it were the most natural thing possible towards Revan.

Revan allowed a moment's surprise to fill him as he was send sailing through the air and struck the wall. A loud pop in his left shoulder told Revan it was either broken or dislocated. Shaking his head from the disorientation, Revan looked up to see the girl had again lost consciousness. Revan knew that it was a reflex in the girl, but the fact that she could wield the Force to a point strong enough to send him across the room like that with little to no training. Had he been a Jedi Master, Revan would have been speaking of the girl's potential excitedly, or as close to that as a Jedi Master could get. Had he still been the Lord of the Sith he would have been pondering sinisterly how he could twist the girl into his own desires.

At that thought, Revan frowned.

_"Perhaps the loss of the Force was a good thing for me..."_

It felt like his eyes had been opened, as if he had been blinded for the last three years.

_"This is not who I am..."_

Revan knew his actions during the close of the Mandalorian wars and the beginning of the Jedi Civil war, Malak made sure of that but it had never mattered then. Something had changed with the loss of the Force, it was as if a light had been turned on, exposing his own crimes to him. All the things he set out to change were becoming steadily worse. All the effort he put into his campaign was meaningless and now the galaxy was at the mercy of three Sith Lords whom Revan knew were the most bloodthirsty of all of them.

Malak exercised some restraint, knowing that some targets could be useful to him but Bandon, Sion and Nihilus had no respect for life. Bandon was like a power hungry child who killed anything he felt like killing, including scores of his own men. Sion was broken to the point of insanity by Darth Traya and believed that life was the definition of suffering. In some twisted way the mangled Sith Lord believed he was doing people a favor by killing them. And Nihilus. Revan shuddered at the thought of Nihilus.

The black-clad Sith Lord with the skull-shaped ivory mask was a mystery to him. He had seen on several occasions the strange Sith Lord tear the very Force from someone. It was happening more and more in those final months of his reign and he was speaking with Darth Traya and Malak about ending Nihilus' existence. Malak had not seemed to care but Traya had been equally concerned and had mentioned that they should act quickly. Revan realized his mistake too late. Malak had obviously made a deal with Nihilus and Sion. They would hold power of Malachor while he controlled the Star Forge and the fleet.

Shaking his head once more, Revan threw himself into a chair and gazed at the unconscious slave girl lying exhausted and unconscious on the bed.

"I'm not going to let this go on anymore."

Revan resolved, finding something he had lost years ago within himself once more. Nobility.

"I will end all of this."

Revan frowned as he spoke the words to himself. They were the same things he had said over Malachor V after Mandalore's defeat and his fall to the Darkside. Revan's frown deepened as his mind went over the horrific memories of his reign as the Dark Lord.

_"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Padawan."_

Revan allowed a bitter smile as he could almost hear his old Master saying those words. He had never believed them until now. Looking down at the girl that lay in the cot, injured and in a restless sleep, Revan's fists tightened. The leather creaked as the former Jedi gazed sadly at Mira.

"I will stop this. You will never be lost again."

Leaving the girl with his promise, Revan sealed the room quietly, leaving a holdout blaster behind as he made his way to a merchant area to buy the parts needed to make another lightsaber.

Mira awoke to a the sound of scraping. Opening her emerald eyes, the fourteen year old former slave rubbed her face tiredly and sat up, eyes locking with the dark figure sitting at a workbench with his back to her.

"They're gone."

The man's deep voice cut through the silence, causing the Mandalorian child to jump. There was something about the man's voice that seemed familiar. Her last memory being struggling against her captors and being struck unconscious, Mira was wary as she stood and wrapped a sheet around herself.

"Who are you?"

The man stopped his work and slowly turned to face Mira. The girl frowned as she saw the man's face. There was something familiar about him, his voice, his robes. It was then she potted the cylinder at his waist and her mind registered the memory of the man before her.

"Revan?"

The girl questioned. Revan cast his eyes downward in a single nod. Mira thought for a moment. She should be angry with this man for leaving her at the mercy of the galaxy. Revan had gone off to fight what he said were remnant Mandalorians and had returned a Sith Lord. She had been sent to Nar Shadda where she was told by the Republic that promised the man before her that she would be taken care of. The refugee sector of the smuggler's moon was little more than a slum where you had to fight for every little scrap you were given. Being raised most of her childhood by the Mandalorians gave her enough skills to get by, but eventually the Exchange moved in to take advantage of the cheap labor that the refugees could offer.

Deciding that anger would be a waste of time, Mira nodded thoughtfully as she looked down at her appearance with a frown.

"The refresher is in the other room..."

Revan motioned to the room and fell silent. Uncertain of what to say to this girl who should have been trying to kill him for his carelessness. Mira scurried to the refresher, emerging several minutes later clean and clad in a green tunic and dark brown leggings Revan had left there.

"Some place you got here, huh?"

Revan felt a smile pulling at his face at the girl's playful tone but crushed it.

"I'm sorry."

Mira raised an eyebrow as she shook her head and waved Revan off.

"Don't worry about it Rev. Its over now as you said. They're gone."

Mira seated herself on the cot and gazed at Revan intently. The Dark Lord found it unnerving to be under the girl's stare and shifted uncomfortably.

"So what exactly is the Lord of the Sith doing rescuing slaves in the Hutt's space?"

Revan took a steadying breath, his mind playing over the events of the past week.

"I was betrayed by my best friend... watched the woman who was like a mother to be die before my eyes and then beaten by the scum that had done that."

Mira looked shocked for a moment.

"Wow... Some story."

Revan nodded, scowling.

"The scum left me to die and I managed to escape to this place."

Revan motioned his hand around the room. Mira nodded her understanding as she stood and padded over to Revan, punching him in the arm.

"That's for leaving me with the Republic."

Mira said with a scowl. Revan accepted the girl's anger when she suddenly threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.  
"And that's for saving me."

Revan felt that damned smile pulling at his lips again and fought for control, a stupid grin reaching his face.

"Well I'd say we're even then."

Mira shook her head, waving her finger at him.

"Oh no you don't. You got me into this, you're getting me out."

Revan's grin turned to a smirk.

"Well Mira the galaxy is our playground. Where shall we go?"

The former Sith Lord asked, the stress and anger at the past week melting away. Seeing this, Mira smiled brightly and looked down to her clothing.

"I say I get some new clothes and then we try something I've been thinking about doing for a while. We'd make a great team!"

Mira gave Revan a hopeful look. The former Sith Lord laughed and shrugged.

"I really don't have anything else to do... why not."

Happy for the first time in years, the two Mandalorians made their way from the small complex and into the crowded streets of Nar Shadda. There Mira excitedly explained her career choice to Revan.

"A Bounty Hunter?"

Revan frowned as he thought about that particular field. Sure the pay was ridiculously great but many of the jobs were questionable, even for a former Sith Lord.

"Hey don't worry about it, I've got it all planned out. Just you wait and see!"

Revan shrugged, allowing fate to take him along.

_"The galaxy will decide if this is the right choice, I really have nothing else to do."_

Mira excitedly filled Revan in on her plans to become a famous Bounty Hunter. The former Jedi smiled as he listened to the girl. She had definitely planned it out, Revan noted as he listened intently to the girl's plans.

Three years would pass and Mira's plan worked out as they had expected. Revan and Mira had made a great team, quickly becoming the best bounty hunters on Nar Shadda and soon they were both listed amongst the best bounty hunters in the galaxy. Revan of course chose the alias Raven, choosing to hold off on training Mira. She would manifest more strongly in the Force in time and he knew that without the Force he would not make an adequate teacher if she were to be overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the Force. It was a risk Revan was not yet ready to take, he could not teach Mira to block the hundreds of thousands of echoes in the Force without being able to block them himself.

Elsewhere, others were not so fortunate as the Mandalorian duo. Nihilus and Sion vanished from the Jedi's view, returning to Malachor V and continuing their invisible war as they sent hundreds of assassins after the Jedi. Bandon continued the Sith Wars in a brutal slaughter, killing nearly everything that did now bow at his feet and even killing those that had. Using the endless resources of the Star Forge, Bandon was able to force his way past the Outer Rim and into the Mid Rim, preparing for an assault against the Core worlds. Only one thing held the Sith hordes at bay, the battle meditation of the Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan.

For three years the Republic and the Jedi held the Sith at bay. Three years more than Bandon had thought. The Empire that had fallen so easily to him was now locked in a stalemate with the Jedi and Republic, precisely the reason he allowed Nihilus and Sion to exist. Patience was not something he had, but he was no fool. Sion and Nihilus were slowly breaking through the Jedi ranks, killing hundreds of Jedi and adding thousands more to their own ranks.

Patience was a thing seen in few Sith Lords. Revan had patience, Kreia to an extent, but nothing like Nihilus and Sion. Sion could wait for the very Force to end before he would become concerned. Everything was working slowly, ever so slowly into the Sith's favor. Eventually Bastila Shan and her battle meditation would be added to their own ranks for destroyed. The few other Jedi that possessed the ability were no threat. Nomi Sunrider was too old to make much of a difference for long and Sion knew that he and Nihilus would eventually break the last of the Jedi.

Nihilus was patient, but by necessity. The Sith Lord's hunger grew more and more but he knew he had to wait until the time was right to begin devouring the Force from the countless lives within the galaxy. If he moved too soon, Bandon would see it as a threat to his own power and bring the might of the Star Forge to bear on Trayus or the Republic would see and send their Jedi to him. Nihilus and Sion were no fools, they both knew Revan had been weakened severely when they had faced him. His disappearance from Trayus was something that bothered both Sith Lords greatly.

Somewhere, Revan was planning his revenge on them and both knew that when recovered, Revan would annihilate them unless they had a plan. Drawing on the resources of the Trayus academy, Nihilus and Sion began searching the wreckage of the thousands of destroyed ships around Malachor V for ones that could be repaired and used if needed.

A stroke of luck fell into Bandon's lap in the third year of his reign as Dark Lord of the Sith. The Jedi were moving against him directly as they had failed to do against Revan. It was a move of desperation, a sign to Bandon that he would soon control the Republic.

The Tarisian system was where the Jedi had presumed they could _ambush _ Bandon. Laughing at their arrogance, Bandon brought with him the majority of his fleet, waiting for the Jedi to send their last hope right into his hands.

**Author's Notes:**Yes I know, you're all pissed off that I skipped three years there but I really wanted to get to the game. Just imagine Revan and Mira as bounty hunters. And YES they will be involved in the events of KOTOR I.


	5. Chapter 5: Bounty

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5: Bounty

Darth Bandon waited with growing impatience as his flagship hovered over Taris. It had been a week since the blockade of the cityworld and the destruction of the small Republic fleet. Taris was worthless to the Sith but Bandon had a taste for the Tarisian delicacies. Enough so to _try_ to avoid turning the cityworld to glass craters. It had been two days since he had posted a bounty of two million credits on Bastila. It was nothing to the Sith and he would prefer to add Bastila's power to his own.

"Lord Bandon a ship approaches."

Bandon ignored the officer, his eyes scanning the endless space until it fell on the ship. A slow smile spread on Bandon's face as he caught sight of the flower shaped vessel. It almost resembled a Basilisk war droid to the Sith Lord aside from the black and red coloring.

"I see the bounty hunter's guild has sent their best."

Bandon muttered emotionlessly. The ship docked without incident and Bandon awaited his guests.

Mira checked her wrist launcher once more before placing her hand on her holstered blaster and taking a steadying breath.

_"Revan's lost his mind..."_

Mira glanced back at the former Sith Lord in question and frowned. Revan was clad from his head to his toes in black and his hood obscured his features completely. Beneath his robes, Revan wore a thin layer of crimson cortosis armor. If he had chose to wear his mask he may have looked like his old self aside from the addition of a blaster carbine and the small armory of hidden weapons within his armor.

Bandon's eyes fell onto the two lightsabers attached to the bounty hunter Raven's belt first. Surprised that this man had the strength or skill to take down a Jedi, Bandon was silent for a moment before he spoke to the bounty hunter duo.

"I'm sure you know why you're here."

Revan wore an emotionless expression, his brown eyes cold and uncaring.

"Yes, the Sith Empire cannot find a single Jedi on this pathetic world."

Revan snapped venomously, drawing Mira's attention. Bandon was surprised by the bounty hunter's attitude and smirked. It had been a long time since anyone had stood up to him without a trace of fear.

"I haven't the time for this, find Bastila Shan and bring her to me. I will double the current bounty if you bring her to me within a week."

Revan remained expressionless as he tilted his head in acknowledgment and turned, leaving a thoroughly confused Mira behind. Mira quickly bowed to Bandon, though the Sith Lord had already turned away to stare at Taris. Catching up with Revan, Mira spoke.

"What was that all about and why the hell are we here? I thought we didn't take Sith contracts."

Revan slowed his steps as he looked around for anyone who would be listening in.

"That was one of the bastards that betrayed me... and It's a matter of honor for this particular contract."

Mira raised an eyebrow at that. What possible debt could Darth Revan have with a Jedi that was likely one of his enemies when he was the Sith Lord. Waiting till they reached their ship to respond, Mira turned to Revan.

"So let me get this straight. We're not here for the bounty?"

Revan nodded, smirking as he dropped his emotionless facade.

"I owe this particular Jedi a favor."

Mira smirked a smirk similar to Revan's.

"I hear she's a very lovely young lady."

The bounty hunter teased. Revan's smirk vanished, his mind playing over his previous encounter with Bastila Shan.

"She is and she saved my life. I owe her hers."

Mira nodded, her expression returning to deathly serious.

"Well, lets find her and get the hell out of here."

Canderous Ordo rubbed his eyes tiredly. Davik had been ordering him to send search teams into the Undercity to search for anything valuable from the Escape pods that had crashed nearly a week ago. With the Sith blockade and all of the offworlders stuck on the planet, his employer was having difficulty securing his wages. Canderous' weariness vanished as a scowl adorned his features.

_"Now Davik wants me to go to the Undercity myself because all those fools he sent were too pathetic to make it past the first Rakgouls they saw."_

Shaking his head, Canderous was about to enter the lift to the Undercity when a landing repulsor fired overhead, drawing his attention. The mercenary's eyes widened as he tried to make sense of what he saw. The flower shaped vessel had armor of crimson and black, a sign of who exactly was on board. Canderous eyed the ship appreciatively as it landed.

Smirking, Canderous entered the lift and watched as a young red-haired woman about seventeen or eighteen stepped off the ship followed by a figure clad in black robes with a thin crimson breastplate and matching gauntlets.

"Looks like Taris just got a lot more interesting."

Canderous watched as the two bounty hunters sealed their ship and made their way to the lift. The Sith trooper had apparently known of their arrival and held the lift until the two entered. Immediately, Canderous felt both hunter's eyes on him and his smirk widened.

"Nice ship."

Revan was silent for a moment before smirking in return.

"A relic of Duro."

Revan answered the Mandalorian's curiosity. Canderous nodded, his gaze traveling to the modified Basilisk before the lift doors sealed.

_"That ship has to be fast enough to get past the blockade!"_

The idea of possessing a Basilisk once more filled Canderous with a sense of satisfaction. Eyeing the two hunters, Canderous' smirk vanished. No matter if he wanted that ship or not, Raven and Mira would not be willing to part with such a priceless and deadly relic of the Mandalorian wars.

Canderous could still feel the bounty hunter's eyes on him as he walked towards Davik's estate to pick up some reinforcements. Shrugging, Canderous walked past a frustrated middle aged man in an orange jacket.

Carth Onasi looked around the lower city with growing dread. Bastila was gone, and from what he had heard so far, captured by one of the swoop gangs. The Republic commander froze as a burly Mandalorian walked past him, the smirk on the Mandalorian's face sent a chill down his spine as he recalled the hundreds of times during the previous war that Mandalorians wore that very expression. Shuddering, Carth looked towards the lift where he had stowed his stolen Sith armor and nearly did a double take.

_"Great!"_

Carth cried out in his mind as he set his eyes on the two most recognizable bounty hunters in the galaxy. They seemed to have appeared out of nowhere three years before and they had a perfect record. Every single bounty they took was filled and Carth could only hope they weren't there for Bastila. Suddenly, Carth felt someone watching him and looked up to see the young red-haired woman glaring at him with narrowed eyes.

Before he could reach for his blaster, Carth saw the woman raise her arm and felt a cable wrap tightly around him, tightening each time he struggled.

"Republic officer."  
Mira muttered to Revan. Revan smirked as he set his dark eyes upon the enraged Commander. Seeing that they had drawn attention, Revan motioned to Mira to move to an abandoned apartment complex. Carth's struggles ceased as the cable tightened to the point of nearly breaking his skin. Sighing in defeat, the Republic commander lowered his head and followed. He had been the last person to make it off the Endar Spire. An ensign named Trask Ulgo had been one of the few that had stayed behind to defend the ship while the Jedi and officers fled.

Carth tried to guide Trask to the escape pods but the man was ambushed by a group of elite Sith troopers and killed. Knowing that anyone else on board was doomed, Carth dove into an escape pod and landed on the cityworld. His efforts over the past week had brought him here, a prisoner to bounty hunters. The Republic commander felt the young woman's hand on his coat collar and pulled back. The woman merely smiled.

"A commander, Raven."

Revan wore no expression as he gave Carth a calculating stare. For a moment, Carth saw recognition in the man's obscured features before he saw that damned smirk, so similar to Canderous'.

"Commander Carth Onasi of the Tarisian Security Force and Third Republic Fleet. It is an honor to meet such an accomplished soldier."

Revan gave a mock bow, much to Carth's annoyance.

"What the hell do you want? If you're going to turn me over to the Sith than get it over with!"

Carth roared into Revan's face. The former Sith Lord shook his head as he motioned to Mira. Mira nodded once before releasing the cable from her wrist launcher. Immediately, Carth felt the cabled slacken and then fall to the ground. His hand traveling quickly to his blaster, Carth heard the sound of air rushing as a small dart imbedded itself in his chest.

"Paralysis darts."

Mira told the Commander as his face turned red with anger and effort to move. Slumping to the ground, Carth saw the woman's boot kick away his weapon as the armored man squatted before him.

"We only take clean contracts, Commander Onasi."

Revan informed the man emotionlessly.

"We are here for a personal reason. I owe Bastila Shan a favor. You can help, or you can go on your merry little way."

Carth was silent for a few moments before he released a sigh. The fast-acting paralysis poison was quickly wearing off. Remembering a report he had read, Carth knew that Raven and Mira never took Sith contracts and avoided working with the Exchange. He also recalled the fact that the bounty hunters rarely killed their bounties, giving them a higher profit rate for live captures. Still, working with the likes of bounty hunters and smugglers did not appeal to him.

"Fine."

Carth muttered, feeling his hand responding as he opened and closed it. Mira smirked, shooting him with another dart. Carth cursed as pain flared in his chest and glared at the young woman.

"The Hell?"

Mira's smirk widened as she shrugged.

"Antidote."

Carth snarled as feeling shot back into him and stood, glaring at the young woman.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?"  
Carth asked. Mira merely cocked her head and turned to Revan. Revan sighed, shaking his head.

"Don't have too much fun, Mira. We have work to do."

Mira laughed, nudging the former Sith Lord.

"Sure thing Rave."

Revan ordered Carth to return to the Upper City and gain as much information as he could since he and Mira did not have the advantage of a forgettable face. Revan and Mira silently stalked the Commander, observing his interaction with the locals.

"These Republic bleeding heart types never get anything done."  
Revan noted as he watched the Republic Commander dispose of two thugs and help an elderly man from the ground.

"Still..."

Mira began.

"He tries."

Revan nodded, smiling slightly.

"Sometimes that's all you need."

Revan nodded towards Carth as he tried placating a group of drunken Tarisians by offering them a round of drinks.

"This would almost be comical if we had the time."

Mira nodded, her expression turning cold as she and Revan made their way through the alleyways silently and crept into the lift to the undercity.

"How long do you think we should leave him up there?"

Revan shrugged, placing his mask over his face.

"Until he realizes you can't help everyone and starts looking for Bastila."

Mira frowned, turning away from Revan a moment. There was something about Revan's dismissal of compassion that she found troubling.

"I know what you're thinking, Mira."  
Revan whispered, shaking his head.

"Sometimes helping someone only makes things worse. Try recalling my actions on Nar Shadda. I destroyed the Exchange presence there in a single day but now, two years later..."

Revan trailed off, allowing Mira the time to think of the implications.

"Now they own the entire sector and control the local Hutt overlord."

Revan nodded, eyeing a passing Tradoshan with annoyance.   
"A temporary solution, as most are."

Revan slowly reached his right arm towards his side, subtly sliding out his small blaster pistol before he made a quick handsignal to Mira. Mira acknowledge and drew her own pistol, silently sprinting to the other side of the corridor as she activated her stealth belt. Revan slowly slid into an abandoned apartment corridor, making one short signal to Mira to follow his lead. Revan peered around a corridor, spotting a group of aliens and humans arguing before they began firing on each other.

The battle was quick but brutal as several drew vibroblades and cut their opponents down. Shortly after the battle began. Carth appeared from a nearby lift and quickly threw himself to the side to avoid a stray blaster bolt. Revan watched with interest as the Republic Commander drew two blaster pistols from his holsters but kept them wisely pointed away from the battle.

_"Wants to show he isn't a direct threat but willing to defend himself."_

Revan turned to where he thought Mira was and nodded towards Carth, pointing to one of his eyes and making a cutting gesture. The air seemed to swivel slightly and Revan watched as Carth was violently pulled back behind a cargo container as a grenade was thrown towards him. One of the thugs shouted something about outsiders and charged Carth, falling suddenly as an invisible presence knocked him to the ground. Revan frowned, knowing Mira was avoiding killing the creature. Annoyed, the former Dark Lord sent a single blast into the Tradoshan's head, firing on the others that survived their previous foes.  
"Looks to be Vulkars... A local gang..."

Mira noted, casting Revan an uneasy look. Revan briefly checked the bodies for any indication as to why they would attack randomly but found nothing.

"Enough of this. Mister Onasi, quit brooding and make your way to the local bar. Nothing like a Cantina to get information."  
"I've already been there!"

Carth snapped. Revan smirked, shaking his head.

"Maybe you didn't ask the right people the right questions."

Revan pulled back his hood and pulled away the thin armored mask he wore, revealing for the first time to the Republic officer his face and extending his hand.

"Even terms, Commander. I am known widely as the Bounty hunter Raven but I assure you there is more to me than that."

Carth warily took the man's hand, staring directly into his eyes.

"Mira."

Mira nodded as Carth cast her a similar look of suspicion.

"Just between you and me..."

Revan leaned against the wall, smirking as he spoke.

"I'm out to hurt the Sith."

Carth felt an uneasy smile pulling at his lips and nodded, motioning towards the nearby Cantina.

"That way."

Calo Nord seemed to be having some fun when they arrived, tossing and in Revan's opinion wasting a perfectly good concussion grenade to take out three lowlife thugs that wouldn't be missed. Sighing, Revan nodded respectfully to the bounty hunter as he passed.

"Nice one, Calo."

Calo turned slowly to Revan, eyeing his appearance and companions before smirking and nodding back.

"There's a lot of work around here. Davik might be interested in another... right hand man."

Revan rode an eyebrow.

"Another? What happened to the old one?"

Calo chuckled, shaking his head.

"Lets just say no one likes a Mandalorian."  
Revan felt his blood boiling at the comment but kept his facade as he laughed and tilted his head once more. Calo cast a quick glance over his shoulder before leaving, nodding to Mira.

The Cantina was loud and filled with smoke from various narcotics. Carth seemed to have a difficult time breathing properly and took several breaks from asking around. Revan and Mira sat quietly in a corner watching the Commander work. It was then that Revan heard a high pitched voice, calling for a someone called Zalbaar. Revan looked genuinely surprised to see a Wookiee in the Undercity and nodded to Mira who cast the beast a wary look as she pursed her lips.

"That's not him, don't worry about it."  
Revan soothed, eyeing the Wookiee critically as it lurked towards a Rodian and glared down at the bug. Revan found it amusing that the Rodian cowered and shouted that the girl was lucky she had a big friend.

"Excuse me."  
Revan called to the Rodian. The Rodian looked surprised but asked what he wanted. Revan slowly pulled out his blaster pistol and eyed the weapon appraisingly before pointing it slowly towards the Rodian's skull.

"Bang."

Revan smirked at the look of terror on the Rodian's face and holstered the weapon, standing and walking over toward the alien.  
"I think it is you who should be worried. Take a message to Brejik for me. Tell him Raven is looking for something and tell him it is in his interest, mortalitywise to get back to be on it."

It seemed that the Rodian hadn't recognized Revan before but as soon as Revan had whispered the words to him, the Rodian paled and nodded numbly, running from the Cantina to tell his boss.

"That was all a little... to theatrical."

Mira muttered lowly to Revan, smiling and nodding towards the blue Twilek girl with the high pitched voice. Revan eyed the Rodian's retreat with annoyance.

"I used to be a Sith Lord, theatrics go with the job."

Revan replied quietly. Mira laughed, shaking her head and catching the suspicious glance of the Wookiee.  
"Hey, I know you!"

Mission Vao said loudly. Revan nodded his head, extending his hand.  
"Raven, and who might you two be?"

Revan asked, looking between Mission and Zalbaar.

_"I think I just saved myself a lot of trouble. No doubt Brejik or Davik has Bastila..."_

Zalbaar returned to his meal, eyeing Revan warily as he passed him. Revan had no doubt the Wookiee overheard him and that was how he liked it. Keeping secrets from Wookiees was a very bad idea unless you wanted that Wookiee as an enemy. Carth returned several minutes later, joining the conversation and adding his two credits much to Revan's amusement and Mission's annoyance as she snapped back at the frequent interruptions.


	6. Chapter 6: Infection

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 6: Infection

Mira had been uneasy for most of the twenty minutes they had been in the Undercity. Revan had noticed Carth had tensed up and was coiled to strike. Mission had agreed to help Revan and Carth gain entrance into the Black Vulkar base with the blessing of the Hidden Beks. The former Sith Lord had heard rumors of beasts roaming the undercity of Taris and had even gathered as much information on them as he could. The uneasiness in Mira had not yet transferred to him but he was not particularly enthusiastic to be stuck in the Outcast village. It reminded him too much of what he had seen in the Undercity of Coruscant years before.

Mira had been having a bad feeling as they say since she and Revan had stepped off the lift to the Undercity. Carth was clad in Sith armor and the lift guard had already been informed to expect Revan and Mira. It had not been that, or the thugs that had tried to rob them as soon as they stepped into the hellish Undercity that had bothered her.

Revan had always said she was special, that she had a sort of battle instinct. What he had not told her was that she was strong in the Force. Revan had been watching her progress but had no way to measure her potential. Ever the perfectionist, Revan had decided against training her until he could either become or find the proper teacher for such things. Until then he had subtly encouraged her to speak up if she were feeling danger. Mira's _intuition_ had saved their collective asses several times.

"Something isn't right here..."

She muttered. Regardless of where they were she had always been able to feel as if they were being watched or if danger was close but now it was as if they were surrounded by nothing. She could easily feel the eyes of the villagers but did not consider them a threat. There was something that just made her want to leave this place as quickly as possible.

"What is it?"

Revan asked, casting Carth a silencing glare. The Republic Commander took the hint and went to speak to several villagers.

"Its as if there's a blank spot here. I can't describe it as anything else. I know there is something out there but I don't know..."

Revan rose an eyebrow, casting a paranoid glance over his shoulder. He had been stabbed in the back too many times to completely trust anyone besides Mira.

"Just be ready to fight if we have to. It could be those beasts we heard about."

Mira nodded, not looking at all comfortable with Revan's words. Sighing, Revan checked his mask's sensors, detecting a few dozen life forms gathered outside the Outcast village. Shaking his head, Revan placed the mask over his face and drew up his hood. Doing a quick check of his lightsaber and pistol, Revan pulled a light repeating blaster carbine from his shoulder and checked its power.

"Looks like we're going to have to find the kid. I don't think its like her to be late."

There was a small amount of drama at the gate, ended when Revan used his jet pack to fly over the wall and rained blasterfire down on several Rakgouls. Landing lightly, Revan smirked beneath his mack, looking at the startled Outcast man that had been trapped outside.

"Its fun being dangerous."

Revan replied simply, not hearing the approach of another creature behind him. At the last moment, Revan's mask sensors alerted him to a heat signature approaching from behind him. Spinning quickly, Revan drew his pistol and fired several shots into the Rakgoul's head, backing away as the beast dropped and slid to his feet. Sneering at the beast, Revan kicked the animal, surprised when it gurgled and latched onto his thigh with its mouth.

Driving an elbow into the beast's head, Revan quickly ripped its mouth from his thigh and twisted its neck. The resounding snap drowned out the startled gasp as the Outcast man backed away nervously.

"Get the Hell back to your wife."

Revan spat, watching as a viscous green fluid began pouring from the wound.   
"I told you I had a bad feeling."

Mira wailed, shaking her head. This was absolutely great. Now they had to find some Sith patrol and convince them to let them borrow some of the serum.

"I'm not usually one to stick my nose into other people's business but maybe this could work to both our advantages..."

Carth began, wanting to find a sample of the Rakgoul serum to give to the people of Taris. Revan slowly turned his masked features to Carth, staring at him in silence a moment before speaking.

"First part of the plan. Shut up."

Revan waved his blaster to emphasize his point. He was still annoyed that he had been caught off guard. The burning sensation flowing through his body as well as the throbbing pain in his leg didn't help.

"Second-"

"Please, you have to help me no one else will help me. Even the Beks won't help me but I can't just leave him there, he's my friend!"

Revan sighed.  
"Second, we make sure I don't decide to go around biting people and third."

Revan cast a glance over his shoulder as Mission approached.

"We get these Vulkars to see things my way."

The Undercity was in some pretty poor condition. After killing close to a dozen Rakgoul, Revan and the others came across a pile of Sith corpses which to his glee had several vials of Rakgoul Serum with them. Quickly injecting himself, Revan drew his blaster carbine and began scanning the surrounding area for Rakgouls. Spotting one in the distance, Revan shot the creature in the head and laughed sadistically as he rushed over to it, pulling his lightsaber out and driving it into the creature's head.

"That infection was starting to get to me."

Revan explained to the others as they watched. Mira laughed and Mission chuckled nervously, casting a quick look at Carth, who had decided to lose the Sith armor and was scowling at the scene of violence.

"I'm in a good mood, go make the masses happy."

Revan tossed a vial to Carth and smirked as he pocketed the one remaining vial.

"What are you going to do with that?"

Mission asked warily. Carth rose a brow, curious as well. Revan chuckled, in a very good mood as to the fact that he wasn't going to mutate anymore.

"I'm going to sell it to that greedy Hutt and see how long it takes him to notice he's not the only one that has it."

Carth unconsciously laughed, drawing a surprised look from Mira.

"Careful, Republic boy."

The bounty hunter warned, grinning as she ran a hand along her wrist launcher.

"Calm down."

Carth threw his hands up in mock surrender, grudgingly appreciating the bounty hunter's sense of humor. Revan continued to a small hatch that Mission told him would lead even further into the sewers. Turning from the entrance, Revan nodded to Mira.

"Go with Republic boy to the good doctor and meet me outside the Vulkar base."

Mira rose a brow, nodding. Revan was likely going to be killing a whole lot of people and knew she wouldn't be overly appreciative of the casualties. Even if they were trying to kill her at the time.

"Come on..."

Mira sighed, motioning to Carth to follow her. Carth grumbled to himself and followed the bounty hunter as Mission and Revan made their way into the sewers.

"So..."

Mission began. Revan tapped the side of his mask and scowled as the sensors showed him nothing but interference. Looking around, Revan assumed it was all the old machinery messing with the mask and pulled his hood back, securing his mask inside his cloak. The young Twi'lek took a moment to study the young man's features, surprised at the hunter's young appearance.

"Yes?"

Revan asked.

"Is your name really Raven?"

Mission ventured, her headtails twitching nervously. Revan surprised himself by smiling at the inquisitiveness.

"Something like that..."

Revan replied, appreciating his own humor. Mission just rose a brow and continued in silence until another question worked itself into her mind.

"So how long have you and uh, Mira been... working together?"

Revan gave the Twi'lek a sideways glance.

'Three years. Met her back on Nar Shadda and we've watched each other's backs since."

Mission nodded, thinking of her relationship with Zalbaar. All too soon, Revan noticed the corridors were gaining a distinct odor. Drawing his carbine, Revan hugged the walls, grateful to see Mission doing the same thing as she pulled a fairly weathered, but effective vibroblade. Crouching, Revan narrowed his eyes against the dim lighting and spotted two Gammorheans moving through the corridors lazily as they hefted their axes. Shaking his head, Revan sighted along his barrel and turned each of the pig-like alien's heads into smoking holes as Mission quickly activated her stealth field and moved up ahead, to scout the area.

"There are four more in this room. One looks like the chieftain."

Mission whispered to Revan. Revan nodded his acknowledgment, pulling a flash grenade.

_"Better safe than sorry."_

Revan tossed the grenade, waiting for the light to floor the corridors before moving in. Rounding the corner, Revan fired three shots into the chieftain, noticing the hits reflecting off of a blue-white energy field. Acting on instincts, Revan rushed forward, kicking the bulbous alien in the chest and sending it into a wall. Turning, Revan noticed Mission's stealth field shimmer as she incapacitated one of the other two Gammorheans. Firing two quick bursts at the aliens, Revan rounded on the chieftain and dodged the axe swung for his head as the Gammorhean squealed in a rage and lunged for him.

Dodging and rolling away, Revan dropped his rifle and drew his crimson bladed saber. The saber quickly snapped to life and seared through the personal shield and finally the Chieftain itself.

Taking an instant to gauge his surroundings, Revan's head snapped to a sealed door as squeaks sounded behind the bulkhead. Running his lightsaber along the mechanism, Revan could hear the Gammorheans pounding angrily on the other side. Mission's voice drew Revan from his musings as the door refused to give way.

"This looks like one of those old fashioned manual locks..."

Mission said, thinking aloud. It was only a matter of moments before Revan found himself the proud owner of a new Wookiee. Zalbaar apparently had a better sense of honor.

_"And sanity..."_

Revan noted to himself, than Harnharr.

"Now can we get to those Vulkars?"

Revan asked after a reunion between Mission and Zalbaar. The Wookiee gave a roar of approval but offered a complaint of being hungry while Mission merely complained of some random smell.

Note: Yea, I know its short but I am picking this up after months of nothing so... yea. I'll try...


	7. Chapter 7: Brejik

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 7: Brejik

Revan stopped at the entrance to the Vulkar Base, his heart still pounding slightly from the close encounter with the Rancor.

"Could've told me about it earlier..."

Revan grumbled to himself as he glared at Mission. Pulling his mask over his face, Revan was delighted to find the interference had vanished.

"Zalbaar, take Mission back to the Undercity. Meet up with Carth and Mira outside the Vulkar base."

Zalbaar nodded, taking a complaining Mission along with him as Revan activated his armor's stealth field and slowly slipped into the Vulkar base.

Getting past the motion sensors was easy enough and Revan quickly dispatched several guards that unknowingly crossed his path with a slash of the blade concealed within his gauntlet. A quick check of the base's security system told Revan all he needed to know about Bastila's whereabouts. Brejik was apparently trying to pass her off as a Republic Officer and was offering her as the Swoop Race prize. Slavery did not hold many happy thoughts within Revan's mind, partially the reason he killed every Vulkar within the base quietly and brutally.

As he wiped the blood from his blade and retracted the deadly, serrated blade back into his gauntlet, Revan lifted the Swoop accelerator and quickly vacated the Vulkar base. Brejik may have been a power hungry fool, but he at least had the foresight to not keep Bastila or himself in the base.

"Mira, I'm coming out."

Revan saw Mira's acknowledgment light wink on within his helm and waited for several moments before opening the main door, not even sparing a glance at the two unconscious Vulkar guards that lay on the ground.

"Carth, Zalbaar, get this to the Beks. Mission, Mira. I have some work for you."

Mira rose a brow but said nothing. Mission bounced excitedly as she followed Revan, wondering what the famous Bounty Hunter would want from her.

"Know how to hack into a computer?"

Revan asked, grinning. Mission's eyes lit up as she nodded and accepted the information Revan had downloaded from the Vulkar's computer.

"I want to know where Brejik is holding Bastila and I wouldn't mind knowing where he is too. Chances are if we can find out where she is, so can someone else."

Mission nodded absently and Mira kept watch as the Twi'lek expertly worked through the data Revan had stolen from the Vulkars.

"It says Brejik is holding her in sector 4-A. That's not too far from the Swoop tracks."

Revan nodded.

"Thanks."

Mission beamed at the word, not used to hearing appreciation from anyone.

"No problem Rave. You have anything you need, you know who to comm."

Revan chuckled, nodding as he turned to Mira.

"We're going to have to make this quick. I'm sure Bandon is running out of patience. Contact him and tell him we've managed to trace Bastila's whereabouts to the local Exchange boss. That should keep us in the clear until we can secure Bastila. We have the codes to leave but I am pretty certain that he won't let us take a break from the hunt..."

Revan rubbed the base of his mask thoughtfully, a habit he never could break.

"We're going to have to get a new ship."

Mira added, sighing.

"I really like that ship."

Revan grumbled, his eyes narrowing.

"We'll set it to automatically fly to Bandon's ship and then have the engines go critical. The confusion should grant us enough time to slip past them as long as we have a fast ship. We'll send Bandon a message that we have captured Bastila and are returning. At best he will believe we and Padawan Shan perished and at worst, we will be blown up."

Mira huffed a single laugh and shook her head.

"At least we know what our options are."

Making their way to Brejik's base. Revan and Mira left Mission at the Bek base and briefly passed their plan along to Carth, who surprisingly didn't disagree with their logic.

Waiting for nightfall, though at that level it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Revan and Mira quickly made their way into Brejik's base, shrouded within their stealth fields. Security was light, surprisingly and Revan only had to kill one guard. Mira began to feel more and more uneasy of her companion's actions. She had seen Revan angry before. The trail of bodies he was so calmly leaving in his wake was starting to frighten her. Revan was never so focused when he was taking out his rage, so calculated.

"Well look what I found."

Revan muttered as he slapped Brejik's sleeping form in his face.

"Wha- Who dares to disturb me!"

The Vulkar leader shouted, glancing around through bleary eyes as he rubbed his face.

"Who is there?"

The Vulkar asked, barely managing to keep the tremor from his voice. A shimmering beside him brought his mind quickly to its conclusion as he rolled from the bed, only to find himself restrained by a powerful grip. Revan slowly reached out, pulling Brejik back as he drove his hand into the man's face. The sound of cartilage cracking sounded as Brejik convulsed and lay still.

"Lets find Bastila."

Revan quickly turned, deactivating his stealth field as he walked confidently through the halls of Brejik's personal base. Mira stared at the corpse of the Vulkar leader, a sick feeling twisting her gut as she swallowed. She was starting to get a bad feeling. Spotting a cylinder sitting on the bed table, Mira quickly grabbed it, attaching the saberstaff to her belt. Following Revan, Mira tried to ignore the voice in her mind telling her she should get as far away from the former Sith Lord as possible. He had saved her life and she owed him. They watched out for each other and this wasn't the first time he had killed. Just the first time he didn't try to shield her from it.

The corridors were growing brighter as the two bounty hunters made their way towards Bastila's cell. Revan motioned for Mira to stop, leaning closely against the wall as he crouched and pulled a gas grenade from his belt.

"Mask."

Mira nodded, attaching a breather mask so she wouldn't fall under the gas' effects. Checking the sensors in his mask once more, Revan quickly flicked the grenade's switch and tossed it around the corridor. Pausing for two seconds, Revan pulled his pistols and rounded the corridor, firing a volley of shots into the scattering guards. Two fell immediately to his fire while another took cover and Mira incapacitated another with her wrist launcher. Advancing quickly up the corridor, Revan holstered one of his blasters and waited as the guard blindly held his blaster out from around the corner and began firing.

Activating his energy shield, Revan moved forward, the shots reflecting harmlessly off of the shimmering field of energy encasing him. Reaching out with his free left hand, Revan grabbed the blaster and the hand firing it, pulling the startled guard out and smashing the base of his blaster into the Twi'lek guard's temple. The guard dropped, dead before he hit the ground and Revan moved on while Mira glanced down at the body with a frown.

"It should be this cell..."

Revan quickly checked the information on his datapad before motioning for Mira to help bypass the cell's lock. Smirking as the lock mechanism released, Revan waited calmly for the door to open before walking into the room and directly into boot.

"Owe."

Revan managed to get out before darkness enveloped him. Mira jumped as Revan's body hit the ground bonelessly with a dull thud and looked up with wide-eyes. Not too many people could get the jump on Revan and she dropped her slicer and quickly raised her arm, preparing to fire her wrist gauntlet.   
"Whoa, whoa! Wait!"

Mira shouted, taking her hand away from her weapon.

Bastila Shan used the Force to call her saberstaff from Mira's belt and activated one of the golden blades as she lowered it to Revan's masked and unconscious form.

_"This_ is mine."

Bastila declared, proud of herself for overpowering her captors. Mira nodded wordlessly, waiting for the situation to sink in. Bastila finally noticed the dead and unconscious bodies of the guards around her and the young woman that was looking at her with a small smirk.

"I gotta congratulate you. No one gets the drop on Raven."

Lowering her eyes for an instant, Bastila took in the unconscious bounty hunter at her feet.

"I am not going to be a prisoner to the Sith."

Bastila declared, preparing to defend herself. Mira threw her hands up, her smirk fading slightly.

"Not here to capture you. Rescue. Carth Onasi."

Mira quickly threw out, hoping to avert a disaster. Reading her a moment, Bastila flushed with frustration and shame as she realized the two bounty hunters had come to rescue her and were in league with the Republic. The question that burned in her mind was why. Looking down at the man she had knocked unconscious with a single kick, Bastila narrowed her eyes. There was something about his presence that seemed familiar.

Eyes widening in realization, Bastila quickly shifted back into her slipping defensive stance. To confirm her suspicions, Bastila ordered Mira to remove Revan's mask. Reluctantly, the bounty hunter complied, seeing that her suspicions were correct and that Revan indeed knew Bastila.

Bastila felt her knees go weak as she realized just who it was lying unconscious at her feet. She could hardly believe she had knocked Darth Revan unconscious with a single blow. Reaching further into the Force, the Padawan frowned as she realized a missing piece of the Jedi's puzzle that was Revan.

He had hardly any Force-presence. What she had experienced when she had faced him she could only describe as pure, unrestrained power and now, as she looked down on his unconscious form, all that power was gone. Looking into the green eyes of the red-haired bounty hunter, Bastila frowned as she sensed the Force bending around the young woman. Revan would not have ended up with her by accident.

"I believe we have a few things to talk about."

Bastila ventured. Mira nodded, her uncontrolled Force-aura relaxing slightly. Bastila's eyes narrowed further.

_"Just like Revan. Keep someone around and not tell them they are Force sensitive. Perhaps... perhaps the Jedi could teach her a thing or two about control. Its likely Bandon can sense her from orbit."_

Keeping her thoughts to herself, Bastila helped the other woman lift Revan's unconscious form and listened patiently as Mira explained her partnership with Revan and how they had met. Keeping the skeptical look from her face, Bastila listened as she studied the peaceful expression Revan's face held as he remained oblivious to the world around him.

The Jedi needed all of the students they could get. That single thought as well as the knowledge that Mira was studying with Revan and had no loyalty to the Sith brought on her next statement.

"You do know you are strong in the Force, right?"

Mira rose a brow.  
"Yea, whatever."

The bounty hunter dismissed. Bastila shook her head, dropping Revan's shoulders and gasping slightly when his head struck the floor.

"That's going to leave a mark."

Mira commented, smirking. Bastila couldn't help herself and giggled as she lifted Revan again.

"I am serious. The Jedi may even have an interest in training you."

Mira's face scrunched up in thought before she shrugged noncommitally.

"Whatever. Just don't tell them or the others about our friend's identity and we'll be fine."

Bastila rose a brow.  
"The others? What others?"

Sighing, Mira rolled her eyes.

"Carth, the carpet and the blue girl. The ones that were helping us find you? They don't know and if Revan wanted them to know, he'd have told them."

Bastila frowned but nodded. Perhaps discretion would be wise until they were off world.


	8. Chapter 8: Death of a World

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long break I just lost track of this story with the writing of my others as well as the interference of life. I'll be taking a break from my new story to work a little bit on this one and you all have _Bjrn Fallqvist _to thank for bringing this one back.

Chapter 8: Death of a World

"Uhg."

Bastila started and dropped Revan once more, earning another groan from the former Sith Lord. Mira rose a brow.

"Look, I know what he was but you really need to stop doing that."

Scowling, Bastila glared at the red-haired bounty hunter before regaining her control and setting her features into a passive mask. To be honest she was terrified. The last time she had seen Revan she had been his prisoner and under the guarantee that he was going to torture her into joining him. Well not really the last time. The last time she had seen him he looked like a Rancor was digesting him.

"Alright, what the Hell!"

Bastila's shoulder jerked slightly as Revan was instantly on his feet. The former Sith Lord rubbed the back of his head gingerly before glaring at the two women.

"Mask."

Revan ordered. Mira quickly handed him the red and black helm and remained silent. She didn't know whether to laugh or be afraid. Handing the mask to Revan, Mira stood back while the former Sith Lord began pacing in agitation.

"What did I miss?"

Revan asked after a few moments of rubbing the back of his head. Bastila and Mira exchanged guilty looks before Mira finally nudged Bastila, silently pressuring her to explain. Pushing down the open terror that had miraculously not shown on her face, Bastila chose righteous anger instead, her hands balling into fists before she raised one, poking Revan's breastplate with a single finger.

"I had to carry you from the Vulkar base because you were not careful."

His surprised and slightly angered expression hidden beneath his mask, Revan continued to rub the back of his head.

"Sure."

He replied, uninterested as he extended and retracted his wrist blade in silent warning. Getting the picture, Bastila backed away, though her anger was still obvious.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Bastila spat, hating the tremor in her voice. Noticing this, Mira backed away from the two, her interest peaked. Not many people could get the jump on Revan and even fewer could knock him out with a single blow.

"Rescuing you, _Princess._"

Revan spat back, clearly annoyed now. Raising his hand to stop Bastila's next tirade, Revan felt the Padawan grab his hand and twist it until he felt the air being expelled from his lungs. Looking up through his mask with a glare, Revan shifted his head slightly as Bastila pointed her active golden blade at his throat, leaving the other extinguished for the moment.

"Can this wait until we are away from prying eyes?"

Revan's voice was a low, harsh whisper and Bastila's eyes narrowed as she gazed down at her opponent through cool blue eyes. Mira, feeling uneasy, searched for anyone who had seen the display before raising her gauntlet at an approaching figure.   
"I know you're better than that _Revan_."

A rough voice called, drawing Bastila's attention to the interloper. A man with steel gray hair and eyes approached, his face chiseled with muscles and faint scars and his teeth flashing white in the dim lighting of the under city. In one hand the man wielded a heavy repeating blaster and the other, a datapad. Quickly taking in the man's red vest and tan cargo pants, Bastila realized he was likely carrying many many more weapons.

"Mister Ordo."

Revan began pleasantly, smirking as he saw Bastila's eyes snap back to him.

"I am very well aware of my abilities; thank you and I can't help but wonder why a man of your... talents is in this place at this time..."

Easing back, Bastila allowed Revan to rise, though her blade remained active and trained on his neck. Revan ignored the deadly beam, his right hand toying absently with his own lightsaber. Bastila had no reasons to spare him aside from curiosity and her Jedi ideals and Revan was feeling a bit uneasy, though he hid it well.

"I have a proposition for you, Lord Revan."

Canderous began, offering Bastila a vicious smile. Bastila flinched slightly but her hand remained unmoving as her blade hovered over Revan's throat. She may have been confused if Revan's intentions were for good or ill but she was far from trusting of him.

"Two conditions..."

Revan began, Canderous gave a single nod, passing along his datapad to Revan which to the former Dark Lord of the Sith's surprise held the schematics of a Corellian transport that had been illegally modified. Meaning it had the firepower and engines of a light Republic cruiser. Raising a brow beneath his mask, Revan turned to Bastila and motioned to her active blade.

"Do you mind?"

Bastila reluctantly lowered the blade, backing away quickly, though slightly curious as to the datapad Revan had been reading.

"What are you asking for, Canderous?"

Revan began in a pleasant and cultured voice. Canderous smirked, his hand easing on his blaster cannon.

"Passage from this world and a chance to show Davik what it means to cross a Mandalorian."  
Revan and Mira smirked at the same time Canderous did, drawing a curious look from Bastila.

"My conditions are as follows. You are welcome to travel with myself and Mira so long as you are not a threat to ourselves or our companions. My other demand is that you not reveal my true identity unless told otherwise. I'm sure they are reasonable..."

Canderous nodded simply, offering more information on Davik's organization. The two bounty hunters and the mercenary began a long winded discussion of the Exchange base before Bastila finally lost her patience.

"And how exactly are we going to get past the auto defenses the Sith have in orbit?"

Revan waved to Mira who rolled her eyes and explained their association with the Sith.   
"We have the codes and so long as we create a big enough distraction we'll be fine."

Skeptical, Bastila merely narrowed her eyes and stood back, listening intently to the plan. Revan, Mira and Canderous would work their way into the Exchange base on the premise of joining before fighting and sneaking their way through the base to the _Ebon Hawk_ where they would promptly steal the vessel and make their way to the surface. Once there, Revan would activate his Basilisk and set it to overload once it docked with Bandon's flagship. Time was not on their side, however as Bandon had grown impatient and ordered the Sith fleet to destroy the world. Moving his flagship away from the planet, Bandon smirked as he delved deeply into the Darkside of the Force and waited for the dying world to feed his power.

The Exchange base was simple enough to fight through and Revan, Canderous and Mira were able to procure the _Ebon Hawk_ without incident. Davik was none the wiser and despite a brief run-in with Calo Nord, whom Canderous had blown through a wall with a single blast from his repeating rifle, they were home free. That was until the Sith began carpet bombing the entire planet from orbit. Calling a warning to Bastila, Carth, Mission and Zalbaar, Revan quickly abandoned the _Hawk _to Mira and Canderous while he rushed to his own vessel, annoyed to find a small astrometric droid lingering nearby. Seeing Davik trying to hack into his vessel, Revan stood back calmly, waiting for his ship's security systems to fry the droid. To the bounty hunter's surprise the droid bypassed his security system and with a curse, Revan rushed towards Davik, firing a blast from his carbine into the Exchange boss' throat. Lying on the ground dying, Davik could do nothing as Revan rushed into his Basilisk along with his very expensive T3-M4 droid and blasted off. The heat from the repulsor's ion fuel fried Davik on the spot and he died a short and painful death while the flower-shaped Basilisk rose rapidly, dodging incoming fire that rained down from above.

Pouring all the speed he could safely within an atmosphere into the Basilisk's engines, Revan did a quick fly-by of the _Ebon Hawk_, a sonic boom alerting those below of his presence. The _Hawk _loaded her crew and unable to stay due to incoming fire, was forced to rise before anyone else could be rescued. Rising swiftly through the orbit, the _Ebon Hawk_ wove expertly through the incoming fire of Sith capitol ships while Revan's Basilisk flew around the larger vessel, tracking and destroying Sith fighters with ease only a war veteran could simulate. Carth Onasi briefly admired Raven's piloting skills before being forced to concentrate fully on keeping the _Hawk_ in one piece.

"This is Kriffin insane!"  
Revan bellowed over the comm line to Mira as she shot fighters off of his tail from the _Ebon Hawk's _turret. Silently agreeing, Mira continued firing as she saw Revan's ship do an insane twist and bank along the edge of a Sith fighter, clipping its solar panel and sending it into a wild spin. Revan tore the Basilisk away from the _Ebon Hawk_ and called out to Carth.

"I'm going to draw them away. Mira you know how to find me."

Sighing heavily, Mira clicked off her headset, not bothering to listen to Carth's loud reply or Bastila's sputtering. Obviously the Padawan didn't want to lose track of _Lord_ Revan. He was harmless as long as you didn't piss him off and Mira didn't see the point in locking him in with them when their own ship was more than capable of-

"Raven, behind you!"

Mira shouted, flicking her headset back on as fire from a nearby Sith Capitol ship lanced through the backdrop of space and clipped Revan's ship. A flash signaled the loss of one of the ship's engines and Revan cursed to himself, drawing on his years of experience he remained calm as he attempted to regain control of his craft. The Basilisk was lost from Mira's sight as the stars began stretching and flashed to a blue-white tunnel as the _Ebon Hawk _entered hyperspace. With a curse, Mira tossed aside her headset and dropped quickly down he ladder to the _Ebon Hawk's_ main hangar, running as quickly as she could to the cockpit. Canderous was already there, shouting in both Bastila and Carth's faces about being cowards for leaving a comrade behind while Bastila looked fairly upset. Carth merely looked shell-shocked, memories of Telos returning to his mind as he slumped in his chair and listened to the faint sound of Mission crying in the back of the ship. With a scowl, Canderous abandoned his efforts to return to what was looking to be a promising battle and fixed his cold glare on Mira.

"You got something to say?"

Mira subtly rose the sleeve of her shirt, revealing a Mandalorian tattoo and allowing Canderous to know he wasn't alone in his feelings of leaving a fellow warrior behind.

"He wanted it and I know he'll make it."

Not as certain as Mira but resigning himself, Canderous' features shifted to a neutral expression before he passed her with a simple grunt, his thoughts on harassing the Wookiee and maybe getting in a nice spar to clear his mind. Only a Mandalorian would consider the prospect of getting torn limb to limb or tossed around like a rag doll by a walking carpet a good time.

"So what are we going to do?"

Mira gave Bastila a meaningful look, hoping the other young woman wouldn't mention who _Raven_ really was. She just hoped the stubborn fool hadn't gotten himself killed. She'd definitely hunt him down in the netherworld and give him an earful if he did. Bastila lowered her eyes a moment, still slightly overwhelmed by Revan's actions before giving a subtle nod to Mira's silent question.

"Raven has done a good thing and I hope he escapes..."

Carth jumped at that, turning to the two women next to him and nodding numbly. Despite their differences in lifestyles, Carth knew Raven had been a good man and that he's be dead if it weren't for him or Mira.

"We will go to Dantooine. There I hope we can rest and recuperate. Witnessing the destruction of a world..."

Bastila trailed off, unable to continue as she left the cabin without finishing. Mira calmly seated herself in the copilot seat and sighed heavily, turning to Carth with a slightly forced smirk.

"Sorry about tossing you around and shooting you before, Republic boy."

Giving an empty laugh, Carth shook his head, reprogramming the _Ebon Hawk's_ navigational computer and briefly dropping out of hyperspace to change course for Dantooine before reentering the safety of hyperspace. Mira blew a loose strand of hair out of her eyes before removing her wrist gauntlet and cleaning its intricate mechanisms before recharging the power cells and moving to her pistols. It helped keep her mind off of Taris' destruction and Revan's absence.

Revan pulled the Basilisk war droid to its limits as he regained a semblance of control. Seeing that he had nearly crashed into a Sith Interdictor, Revan skimmed the bottom of the massive starship, firing the last of his craft's missiles into the ship's vulnerable deflector relay. The Interdictor ship banked as sharply as it could, forcing Revan to make a dive for Taris' atmosphere. Briefly looking over the spectacle of the world's destruction, Revan shook his head and pulled his ship up sharply, causing the Sith fighters in close pursuit of his own vessel to try a similar maneuver and stall, their tie-shaped forms falling into the atmosphere and burning up in long orange streaks as smoke began rising from the destroyed city scape below.

Briefly free from pursuit, Revan poured all the power he could into the Basilisk's remaining engines and used the magnetic interference of Taris' northern pole to trick the Sith sensors before swiftly calculating a microjump and making it to the edge of the Taris system. Free of the combat and immediate danger, Revan leaned back in his pilot seat with a heavy sigh and pulled off his gloves and gauntlets, checking how much power he had before making a jump to Tatooine. Glancing warily at the fuel, Revan hoped silently that he hadn't burned too much fuel in his atmospheric dogfight before pushing it aside and leaning back to close his weary eyes. It had been one Hell of a bad day.


	9. Chapter 9: Bountiful Bounties

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's notes: Sugar and caffeine are the reasons this chapter is done so soon!

Chapter 9: Bountiful Bounties

Upon later reflection, Revan discovered that Tatooine was not a pleasant world. True it was isolated and far from the reach of the Republic and the Sith but it was also sandy and hot and dry and did he mention sandy? Trudging through a sandstorm, Revan thought about getting a drink at the Cantina; pardon, the_ only _Cantina in Tatooine's _only _actual settlement, Anchorhead. Seating himself down in a cloud of dust at his workbench where his Basilisk was being repaired; the former Dark Lord of the Sith pulled his pistol free from his holster, intently cleaning the sand from the weapon before moving onto his lightsaber and wrist blade. Where his second lightsaber had gone he had no idea, likely lost somewhere outside. He just needed something to get his mind off the astrometric droid that had followed him from Taris. The damn thing wouldn't shut up about him killing Davik and he couldn't really destroy it because it was actually helping repair his Basilisk.

"How often do these storms last?"

Revan asked an old man who was selling what looked suspiciously like womp rat jerky. The old man who appeared to be about as sunburnt as you could get, his once pale skin charred to a dark red-brown and looking more like a Bantha hide merely gave Revan a toothless smile, earning a death-glare from Revan before he abandoned his work of maintaining his weapons in favor of doing a little drinking. The hangar he had chosen for his ship was sealed but Revan had a sneaking suspicion the sand would find a way to get to his precious ship and scowled darkly at the thin trail of dust seeping in through the building's ceiling. He had already had to replace two of the Basilisk's four Ion engines intake ports because they had become clogged with sand upon arriving. Another reason he had chosen Tatooine. Aside from its isolation there was never a shortage of ship parts. Too many people had come to the sandy world and never left for there not to be.

Aside from the engine intakes, Revan had also had to completely overhaul his hyperdrive and refuel the blasted thing as well as rearm the expensive but extremely useful missile armament. The blaster cannons on the Basilisk appeared to be fine and the hyperdrive he had added as well as the small living space and bunks had given the ship a use beyond troop transport but Revan was sorely tempted to just scrap the thing and be done with it. Still it was near completion and he could get to the rendevous point he and Mira had established on Nar Shadda. The fact that he had received no word from her troubled him but he merely pushed his concern aside. The sandstorm could easily be blocking communications or if they had fled to a Jedi Enclave it was likely Mira was getting a long winded speech from one of the many Councils over the dangers of the darkside. Something Revan knew intimately well and did not envy.

"Maybe I can just get one of the new Interdictor cruisers. Bloody well costs nearly that much to maintain this junk heap."

With a sign, Revan rose from his workbench in his sealed hangar and wearily began his journey towards the cantina, stopping just after the entrance when his mask's sensors informed him of someone speaking about him. Curious, Revan turned his head to look at two middle aged humans seated in the corner of the cantina, far from the band and prying eyes. Seeing one of the humans, the woman look away quickly, Revan turned fully and stalked towards the two, doing his best to be menacing.

"Its not polite to talk about people behind their backs."

Revan began, crossing his arms and looking down at the two through his Mandalorian-like crimson mask. His once black cloak was dulled to a tan-gray from the sand yet his crimson armor remained unblemished and completely recognizable. The woman flushed darkly, her blue eyes looking at him in open fear though Revan could see the hints of anger on her face.

"Please sir we're nobody. We didn't mean to speak ill of you."

The man, an older human male tried to interject. Revan kept his gaze on the woman, the corner of his eye seeing the man's hands fidgeting as the silence stretched on. Nearby several other sentients looked on with interest, though many were used to this type of display on Tatooine and returned to their drinks, their thoughts mostly on how many more it would take to forget their lack of luck in ending up on the dry world. "Meaning to do something and doing something are two different things and it doesn't matter if you didn't mean to. You still did and in the spirit of curiosity and a fair amount of boredom on my part I do wonder why a simple couple such as yourselves would be speaking of one such as me? Did you serve with or against me in the war or are you referring to my recent career choice?"

Seating himself drew some shaking from the woman's hands and her face flushed, her fear only betrayed by her blue eyes. The man sighed shakily, running a hand through his hair and trying to ignore the open terror he felt. He and his wife may not have been important people but they were not blind, they had seen the reports coming from the Republic and knew that their daughter was an important person. So important in fact that the Sith Lord Bandon had placed a bounty on both his and Helena's heads for a live capture. No doubt wishing to use them to turn their daughter against the Republic. Thinking of Bastila brought a pain in the old man's heart and he closed his eyes, taking a steadying breath.

"Please, spare my wife. She's ill and hasn't much time. It would be cruel to turn her to the Sith now..."

His raised brow hidden beneath his mask, Revan stared at the man as his wife, Helena chided him.

"Eric Shan I will not sit by idly and let my husband be taken away from me!"

The man rose his midnight blue eyes to his wife's pleading with her to be silent. Revan noted the flush of the woman's face and her irregular breathing and knew immediately that her husband had been telling the truth.

"Helena please this is the only way..."

Feeling sadistic and still bored out of his mind, Revan chuckled darkly, drawing both of the human's attention.

"There are other ways. I have to say you've made this extremely easy and I have but one question for you, Mister Shan."

The man's face flushed and his hands trembled with anger. Pausing to give Revan a dark look, he waited for the question, part of him curious as to how such a crude man such as the bounty hunter Raven had picked up such a perfect core accent.

"Why would I let her go?"

Revan turned his masked gaze fully to Helena, part of him pleased at how pale she looked at that moment. A muscle ticked in Eric Shan's jaw and he swallowed hard.

"Because our daughter would never let you get away with this."

Unimpressed, Revan waved down a waitress, ordering three Corellian ales and sitting back, pulling his mask free, though keeping his hood up and giving the two humans a sickeningly pleasant smile.

"Your faith in your daughter is admirable..."

Thinking of Mira, whom Revan had begun to look upon as a little sister, perhaps even a protege, Revan allowed the hostility to bleed from him as he gave both humans a genuine smile.

"Perhaps you haven't heard but I only take clean contracts."

Neither human relaxed and the woman looked as if she would pounce on Revan.

"What about your last contract?"

She spat icily in a way that was vaguely familiar to Revan. Raising a brow and only pausing in his answer to thank and tip the Twi'lek waitress, Revan leaned back thoughtfully, swirling his drink around in his hand and taking a sip in a manner one would a fine wine.

"My last contract was for Bastila... _Shan_. I have no active contracts at the moment and to be honest she is quite the handful."

The looks of horror on both of the human's faces confirmed Revan's suspicions and he motioned to both to take a drink. Neither moved, merely giving him pained and hateful looks.

"None of this unpleasantness now... things are not as they seem..."

Confused but still unwilling to back down, both parents glared helplessly at the man they believed was tracking and perhaps had even captured their daughter.

"Some time ago, three years to be exact. The Sith Lord Darth Revan captured a Jedi Padawan, Bastila Shan..."

Pausing to see the looks of horror on the parent's faces grow, Revan continued, feeling slightly guilty over his actions.

"Darth Revan was betrayed and ceased to be. I myself was a prisoner of the same world and freed by young Bastila. I felt I owed a debt of honor to her and aided in her escape from Taris moments before... well actually during its destruction."

Pointing to a bruise that was still healing on his forehead, Revan smirked.

"She's a big girl and also gave me that when she thought I was after her. No worries though. She's safe and sound in the hands of the Jedi Order along with my colleague, Mira. I have no love for the Sith and I assure the both of you that-"

Revan stopped, his eyes narrowing as the back of his neck was struck with the sensation of ice. The Force was diminished within Revan but was still vaguely accessible and over the three years of his inhibition, Revan had learned to make due with the dulled senses even if it was like walking around blind to him. Acting almost instantly, Revan rolled to his side and out of his seat, his boot sweeping the tabletop and sending the two glasses of untouched Corellian ale into a dark hooded figure that had been approaching him from behind. The crimson beam that had been activating in the figure's hand ignited the potent Corellian ale and Revan quickly recovered, his hand pulling his blaster pistol and sending a single bolt into the burning Dark Jedi as his screams and the scent of burning flesh filled the cantina. At that same moment, two more lightsabers, one a crimson staff and the other a violet single blade ignited, drawing an uncertain look from Revan.   
Acting on instinct alone, Revan tossed the remains of his own glass that was still in his hand at the two Dark Jedi, causing the one with the saberstaff to catch ablaze though only on her cloak. Shifting his blaster to his left hand, Revan's right found his lightsaber and he waited, his right side hidden from view of the Dark Jedi. The Dark Jedi took no notice, rushing with inhuman speed towards Revan. A single shot from Revan's blaster was deflected harmlessly to the floor though it slowed the approach and Revan dropped his pistol, sidestepping and lowering his body, activating his own lightsaber and cleaving the rushing Dark Jedi in two. As the torso and lower body dropped to the ground, the top screaming in agony, Revan rose his blade into the second lightsaber form, Makashi. Seeing the Sith throwing aside her cloak, Revan ignored the recognition in the woman's eyes as she looked upon him, simply using his superior form to attack her while she was still staring at him in disbelief.

The Dark Jedi made a quick parry, though her fear was rising at facing the previous Lord of the Sith. Revan was thought to be dead yet here he was, allying with her charges. It took only a moment for Revan, using only a single hand on his weapon to destroy her weapon and in the same move pierce her heart. The Dark Jedi crumpled to the floor, dead before she even hit the ground and her destroyed saberstaff flickered in her hands before dying. Turning to the still burning corpse of the previous Sith, Revan casually kicked sand on the body before kneeling down to recover his lost blaster; his crimson lightsaber still active in his hand. The cries of the remaining, maimed Sith continued and Revan silenced them with a single shot to the head from his pistol before holstering the weapon and raising his still active lightsaber.

"These are my bounties, my contracts. Anyone who thinks otherwise can join these three."

No one challenged Revan's claim and the former Dark Lord of the Sith extinguished his lightsaber, returning to his seat and ordering three more drinks, smiling pleasantly at the looks of complete shock on Helena and Eric Shan's faces.

"Now where were we before I was so rudely interrupted?"

Revan continued, smiling brightly at the two and flashing his teeth in a very Mandalorian smirk.

Across a good part of the galaxy, Mira was having her own troubles trying to convince Bastila Shan to keep quiet about who Revan was. Needless to say it didn't work and for the week following the destruction of Taris Mira was sitting in a holding cell until the Council reviewed her case. Bastila would often visit, asking questions about Revan and relaying messages from Carth, Canderous, Mission and Zalbaar who had all been forbidden by the Council to visit the _Sith_ under investigation.

"I'm sorry about all this but you can see where the Council is coming from can't you?"

Bastila began hesitantly, already having received Mira's wrath earlier. Mira sighed heavily, closing her eyes and counting to ten before turning to the blue-eyed Padawan.

"If you'd have just gone along with my plan I'd be out of here and you wouldn't have to worry about anything!"

Bastila's sympathetic features melted to a stoic Jedi mask as she looked down her nose at Mira, her eyes narrowing to match the Mandalorian bounty hunter's. Placing her hands on her hips, Bastila glared at Mira as the Mandalorian smiled sweetly at her.

"You're mad because I'm right."

Sputtering a moment in surprise and indignation, Bastila quickly retorted.

"He was a Sith Lord and mass murderer. Aside from the loss of his Force abilities he still contains all of the knowledge and is a great danger to us all."

To this, Mira snorted, voicing the doubts echoing in the back of Bastila Shan's mind.

"He was- is a good man. Was when he was a Jedi Knight and is now. He may be a bit ruthless at times but never to anyone who hasn't earned his ire. He is dangerous, I'll give you that but he won't provoke an outright attack unless you give him a _reason _to. Maybe the loss of the Force opened his eyes to what he was doing, I dunno but I do know what I've seen these last three years I've been with him. He's- he's been like family to me and I can't turn my back on him. I won't help anyone against him no matter what they have on me I don't care. Revan saved my life and more and that means more to me than the Sith and the Republic and anything."

Having the decency to look thoughtful, Bastila slowly seated herself in a chair, looking past the force field at the woman who was being held for simply knowing who Revan was. She hadn't done anything wrong, quite the contrary and she was already guilty by association in the Jedi Council's eyes. Bastila paused at that thought. It wasn't entirely true; Revan still had some support in the Council, the Jedi Master Atris being his main defendant and using the argument of Revan setting Bastila free after she was his captive and at his mercy.

At the thought of Atris, Bastila frowned. The Echani Jedi Master had been ostracized by her fellow Masters first for her vehement attitude towards Ian Kenobi, who had suffered a similar affliction as Revan and was outcast because of it. Atris had seemed to calm greatly after that incident and looked pained when Revan or Malak's names were mentioned. Atris was also cast aside from most of the Council's debates simply because the Grandmaster of the Order, Nomi Sunrider believed her to be too connected with Revan, Malak and Kenobi to be unbiased.

Startled from her thoughts by the hissing of the doors, Bastila and Mira both turned to see the Jedi Master in question. After hearing that Revan had been found, Atris had immediately taken a leave of absence from the High Council and made her way across the war-torn Republic to Dantooine to find and face him and to get answers to many unanswered questions. Mainly what the Hell he had done to Kenobi, Malak and himself. She was still reluctant to accept the Council's decision that Revan had fallen so far into the Darkside to feel the Force. If that were true then how could Exar Kun have been so powerful and how did that explain Kenobi. There were scars from the war on Kenobi's aura but not the taint of darkness that had been seen etched into Revan's aura by the few Jedi who had faced him and escaped with their lives.

"Master Atris."

Bastila quickly executed a deep and precise bow to the Master, startled that she had arrived unannounced and as if summoned by her thoughts. Atris eyed the Padawan a moment before tilting her head in return and looking past Bastila to Mira. Mira immediately felt uneasy in the Jedi's presence. It looked almost like Atris was the exact opposite of a Dark Jedi, her hair as white as her robes and her eyes unaffected by the Darkside. Still, something about the Jedi told Mira to be wary and she remained composed, merely raising a brow to hide her discomfort.

"How's it going..."

Mira sighed, waiting for the Jedi to speak. Atris's features were set in stone and Mira wondered briefly if the Jedi was reading her mind before jumping slightly when the Master spoke, her voice cultured much like Bastila's though deeper and more refined. It was similar to Revan's accent.

"I hear you've been keeping interesting company, Mira."

Mira crossed her arms unconsciously, feeling slightly intimidated but trying to hide it.   
"Yes well not like I had much of a choice but I wouldn't change it for all the credits on Coruscant."

Raising a pale brow to that, the first expression she had betrayed, Atris nodded.

"Revan likes his followers loyal."

Snorting at that, Mira shook her head.

"I'm not his follower. We're partners."

To this, Atris raised her other brow, leaving her doubts unspoken. Silence filled the holding room and Bastila shifted slightly, clasping her hands together at the small of her back as she waited. Mira finally began telling of how she had met Revan during the Mandalorian wars when he had rescued her from Mandalore's vessel. She spoke freely of her experiences on Nar Shadda, not bothering to hide what had nearly been done to her on that world from the other two women who looked nauseous and sympathetic. A small smile crossed Atris' lips as she heard of what Revan had done to the assailants though it turned to a disapproving frown when Mira explained in detail the brutality Revan visited upon the Exchange in the following months.

Mira also took a great deal of time explaining how entering the bounty hunter profession had been her idea and how they had only accepted clean contracts, live captures for the most part though Revan did kill quite a number of people in that time they had all been fairly unpleasant criminals. By the time Mira had reached Revan accepting Darth Bandon's contract, she paused, wondering if Revan had made it away from the fight. She wanted to believe it and she trusted his abilities but she still couldn't stop worrying over it and it seemed Bastila and Atris picked up on her feelings since Bastila shifted uncomfortably and Atris drew in a deep breath, expelling it slowly before speaking.

"Well I sense no deception in your story and it appears Revan has _behaved_ himself. I will petition the Dantooine Council to release you and return to Coruscant though I hope you can relay a message to Revan for me if you see him again."

Mira nodded immediately and Atris scowled as she spoke, her annoyance clear.   
"The next time I see him he's getting smacked. Jedi control or not and he owes me a bloody good explanation for what he's been doing. I know Revan and I know he wouldn't have just suddenly fallen to the darkside by simply leaving the Jedi Order. Tell him I know he's hiding something from us all and I will force him to tell me if necessary."

Mira swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling sorry for Revan. He'd have to deal with her for making her think he'd died on Taris, Bastila for whatever unresolved issues those two had and now Atris for Force only knew what. Smirking at the sudden mental picture of Revan backed into a corner by the three of them screaming at him, Mira decided she didn't feel that sorry for Revan.

"He has it coming to him, I'll tell him and make sure he's there in person when you two talk."

Having picked up on Mira's mental image, Bastila and Atris both smiled before the Echani Master excused herself, heading towards the Dantooine Council Chambers to get Mira released and get to the more important issues at hand.


	10. Chapter 10: Take Your Lightsaber and Sho

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's notes: Just to clarify the reason Bastila's father is still alive is because Revan went directly to Tatooine and found him. The bounty on Bastila's parents seemed like an interesting idea to me and not that far fetched though why Malak didn't figure it out I will never know. Remember, Feedback is the fuel that feeds my writing!

Chapter 10: Take Your Lightsaber and Shove It

Mira made a mental note to thank the Jedi Master Atris the next time she saw her as she walked through the long corridors of the Dantooine Jedi Enclave. She had heard that Canderous had become bored and gone off to kill some poor Kath Hounds in the fields before he found something more deadly and more interesting to kill. Mandalorians from the Dravi Clan. The Dravi Clan was by far the smallest of the Mandalorian Clans to survive the Mandalorian wars and also considered the least disciplined. To say Canderous was disappointed in his opponents was an understatement and singlehandedly, Canderous ended the Mandalorian threat to Dantooine overnight; killing the Mandalorian leader Sherruk and getting his hands on a couple of lightsabers that the Mandalorian rogue had likely taken off of some poor apprentice that had wandered too far from the Enclave.

Stretching her arms slightly with a groan, Mira found the Ebon Hawk and quickly entered the ship, smiling as she saw Mission counting out Pazzak cards and humming to herself like a little girl should instead of crying over her homeworld's destruction.

"Hey kid."

Startled, Mission's Lekku twitched before she spotted Mira's red hair and bolted to her feet excitedly, practically bouncing over to Mira as she greeted her.

"Mira, hey how was the Jedi's hospitality?"

Mission grinned widely, waiting for Mira to answer while the bounty hunter briefly considered tossing Mission into a cell for a week to see how she liked it. In the end the red-haired Mandalorian shrugged, answering in a bored tone.

"About as bland and boring as a Jedi if you've ever met one. It took them most of the week to even make an effort to question me and that was only because a Master had come all the way from Coruscant."

Her grin losing some of its edge, Mission pouted slightly, wishing there was more to the place.

"Yea they wouldn't let us outside of the Enclave either. Carth wasn't too happy and if you didn't hear Canderous ripped off the droid sentry's head and sliced the lock on the door to get past when it told him he couldn't leave."

Mira chuckled to that. It sounded like something Revan would do. Never challenge a Mandalorian. Thinking of Revan brought a halt to her laughter and Mission's smile vanished as she looked uncertain.

"We still haven't heard anything about Raven yet. Carth's been asking with the Republic but so far they've just ordered him to stay put and see if he can offer any help to the Jedi Council. Zalbaar was pretty upset too and I guess he followed Canderous' lead and is outside the enclave somewhere, blowing off some steam."

Mira sighed, nodding and moving towards the _Ebon Hawk's _cockpit where Bastila was arguing with Carth about something. Hearing Raven's name come up, Mira decided to solve the issue and pushed between the two, activating the communications array of the _Ebon Hawk _and using the carrier signal Revan had established for them. Only people seeking their expertise as bounty hunters used the signal, anyone else too afraid or too stupid to figure out how to use the coded signal. After a long moment, Mira received a coded response in the form of several beeps. It was an auto-response from Revan's Basilisk and though it wasn't much it gave Mira something to work with. Sighing and ignoring the inquisitive looks Carth, Bastila and Mission gave her, Mira explained.

"It's the code Raven and I use to keep contact with out customers. Its linked directly to the _Bloodraven_ and will only be answered if either Raven or I answer personally or if the ship is abandoned. Its more or less a heads up for a signal. It should link directly to the _Bloodraven's _communications console and we should be getting a signal right about..."

Mira trailed off, waiting for the sound and wasn't disappointed when her wrist gauntlet blinked before repeating the same sequence of beeps it had earlier.

"I figured you'd try to contact me so I thought I'd let you know I made it off Taris. I had to make a pit stop at the sandbox so I won't be able to make it to the rendevous point for some time and for obvious reasons I can't contact you on an open line..."

Revan trailed off causing Mira to sigh before shaking her head as Carth and Bastila exchanged confused looks and each mouthed _sandbox_ to one another. Bringing herself back to the present when his voice continued, Mira looked even more confused as to Revan's cryptic statement.

"I was attacked earlier by three Dark Jedi but it wasn't me they were after... I may have company when we see each other again and Mira, if you can; bring the Princess along... We're looking at at least another standard week before I can get off this place so keep your head down and try not to fall asleep. I know how much fun Jedi can be..."

Revan's recorded message ended with a series of beeps which confused Mira further and she quickly keyed in a completely different set of beeps before the encoded part of the message got through. It simply read that nowhere was safe anymore. Peering over Mira's shoulder at the console, Bastila's thoughtful frown deepened as she tried to make sense of Revan's nonsense. Mira looked equally confused and smashed her hand against the console in irritation.

"What does it mean?"

Mission finally asked, looking completely lost.

"It means he's alive but that he thinks someone is following him as far as I can gather and on Tatooine. He doesn't want to compromise our hideout so he's going to lead whoever is following him on a merry chase for... lets see a standard week would be two days at the most before he either kills whoever is following him or drops it and runs. I don't like the part about the Dark Jedi but it sounds as if he took care of them..."

Carth looked confused as ever.

"I know Raven's a good bounty hunter and fighter but how can he stand a chance against three Dark Jedi? And since when is a week two days?"

Mira closed her eyes a moment, trying to draw on an old lesson Revan had taught her before answering.

"Arrogance. They probably dismissed him as a threat and underestimated him. A mortal error if I've ever heard of one. Raven thinks someone is listening in to our line so we wants them to think they have more time than they actually do. Its all just an annoyingly complex code Raven and I have worked out."

Bastila looked as if she wanted to speak but remained silent for some time, choosing her words carefully and trying not to mix up Revan and Raven's names. It wouldn't be good if Carth knew just yet.

"I know you're Force sensitive Mira but... Raven isn't as well is he?"

Mira gave Bastila a blank look, not knowing the answer herself. In all her time at his side she had never seen Revan use the Force as he had when freeing her from the Mandalorians at the close of the war. He had confided in her that he was no longer able to feel the Force but Mira had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't the whole truth. She was certain if he pushed hard enough against that barrier that he could break through but a voice in the back of her mind whispered doubts as to what his state of mind would be if he could feel the Force again.

"Honestly can't say."

Mira finally decided. Bastila held Mira's gaze for a moment longer before nodding, satisfied that she had not unwittingly released the second coming of Darth Revan upon the galaxy and stood from her seat.

"We'd better find Canderous and speak with the Council..."

Bastila trailed off a moment when she saw Mira's dark look. Hoping that the Jedi's offer to teach Mira some subtle Force techniques and meditation to maintain her personal control wouldn't be thrown in their faces, Bastila continued in a much less conversational voice.

"We live in dark times and it is best we take advantage of the opportunities offered to us even if they may be from ones we may not trust."

Seeing the double meaning, Mira narrowed her eyes but said nothing, following Bastila from the cockpit while Carth turned to Mission and shrugged, not really having much of a problem with Mira and Raven, not knowing Bastila had meant the Jedi Council. Mira was having her own problems, trying to figure out what Revan meant by having some company. Surely he hadn't found a new partner and decided to cut his losses with her. Mira stopped walking a moment, trying to wrap that around her mind and wondering where the Hell it had come from before shrugging the insecurity off. Revan hadn't abandoned her in three years and even if he had once before he had sworn he wouldn't leave her alone again.

On Tatooine, Revan had finally lost it and was dragging T3-M4 to a local droid shop to get the thing's memory wiped. While he was proficient with repairing droids, Revan did not want to chance the thing bringing up Davik later so he was looking for a full memory wipe which would require a few extra components he didn't have on hand. Upon entering the droid shop of the Ithorian Yuka Laka with both of Bastila Shan's parents following him at a subdued pace, Revan froze, his head turning slowly to a rust-colored droid standing idly in the corner and looking as if it would rather be somewhere else.

_"No Kriffin way."_

Revan muttered to himself, approaching the droid cautiously and overlooking the painfully neglected parts. Deciding instantly he would take his own chances at rewriting T3-M4's programming, Revan turned to the Ithorian.

"I'll take a restraining bolt and a EMP dampener as well as this droid."

The Ithorian looked overly eager to get rid of HK-47 but Revan didn't care about the price. He was rich after all and five thousand credits for HK was a bargain considering his unique programming. Once he had made his purchases, Revan smirked beneath his mask and turned to the droid, feeling nostalgic.

"I see you haven't been very well maintained, HK-47..."

Hearing the voice and channeling it through its filters, HK's eyes glowed a bright crimson before returning to their normal orange and the droid looked at its master with a gleeful note to its mechanical voice.

"Joyous Exclamation: Ah, Master Revan I see you are still functioning! I was most distressed when I had lost track of you but all is well. Shall I kill something for you, Master? Perhaps the meatbag Yuka Laka?"

A look of pure terror crossed the Ithorian's face and Bastila Shan's parents had paled at Revan's name. Revan looked to be considering setting HK-47 loose before he registered the looks on Helena Shan and Eric Shan's faces and relented with a sigh.

"Perhaps later. Come, we're leaving."

HK's eyes seemed to dim at that but it rounded on the Ithorian quickly before leaving, shaking a metal fist.

"Subdued Threat: You hear that meatbag! I'll be back!"

Sputtering and looking as if he would melt into a puddle at the sight of the lightsaber on Revan's belt, Yuka Laka could not respond. Revan turned his back on Yuka Laka, secure in the knowledge that the Ithorian would be so glad to be alive that he wouldn't open his mouth about who had been there.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary..?"

Revan asked, his back still to the Ithorian. The Ithorian nodded eagerly, though the gesture was unneeded and Revan turned his head to Bastila's parents, his voice low.

"I'll explain at the ship. I saved your lives back at the Cantina and I didn't have to so you can either trust me or take your chances."

Looking uncertain and angry, neither human spoke but neither made any move to leave. Satisfied, Revan began walking to the doorway leading to Anchorhead as he called for the two humans and two droids to follow him. The trip to the_ Bloodraven_ was made in silence and at the sight of his ship, Revan paused as he studied the Basilisk from a distance.

"HK-47"

The droid approached Revan's side, eager to fulfill his Master's orders.

"Affirmation: Yes, Master?"

Revan nodded to the _Bloodraven_, his voice loud enough to give Bastila's parents an idea of what was happening.

"Your scanners are still fully functional I trust?"

HK nodded once, already knowing what was being asked and approached the ship, scanning it for any threats to his master before extending his search to the hangar and then once more to the ship. Taking only a couple of minutes, HK returned to Revan and spoke in a low tone.

"Exclamation: The ship is fully functioning and I have seen no foreign objects in its structure or the hangar aside from a tracking device located in the port blaster cannon's barrel."  
Smirking, Revan knew he only had to clear his guns to be free of prying eyes."

"Was the tracking device laced with any explosives?"

Revan asked, deciding to be cautious. HK responded with a negative and Revan nodded, motioning for the droids to enter the ship before turning to Bastila's parents.

"We're leaving the city to the desert for a few hours. I have something I want to check on. I trust you can pilot a ship..?"

Bastila Shan's father nodded slowly, not fully trusting of Revan but knowing he had no choice in the matter.

"Good, I request you fly to the coordinates I give you while I modify T3-M4. There I will explain everything."

Nodding slowly and turning to his wife, Eric Shan prayed that she would go along. Helena pursed her lips though the ordeal had left her weakened.

"Where are we going?"

Revan smirked, though its effect was lost beneath his mask.   
"To slay a dragon."

At this, Eric looked interested and Helena, though still wary also looked curious. Entering the _Bloodraven_, the three humans and two droids quickly went about their tasks as the modified Basilisk rose from the surface of Tatooine slowly, shooting across the cityscape of Anchorhead and over the desert much faster than its pilot, Eric Shan had anticipated before it slowed and lowered outside of a rocky outcropping that seemed to appear out of nowhere within the sand dunes.

"I had wanted to hunt down a Krayt Dragon for some time to get the credits to treat my wife's illness..."

Eric commented to Revan, wishing he had his equipment with him. Revan shrugged, eyeing the entrance of the cave warily before setting aside T3-M4 and activating the troublesome droid.

"Are we finished with the Davik issue?"

Revan asked the astrometric droid. T3 beeped an affirmative, eager to get to work for its new Master. Revan nodded and having faith in the droid's mechanical abilities ordered the small droid to give itself and HK-47 a full diagnostic and make any preliminary repairs within its power. Turning to HK, Revan ordered the droid to guard the ship before leading both of the Shan's outside into the heat of Tatooine's midday sun.

"I was Darth Revan the Lord of the Sith once but not since I lost my abilities in the Force. I'd be lying if I said I changed but with the loss of my abilities my goals seemed less... reachable. I apologize to the both of you for kidnaping and mentally tormenting your daughter but I assure you I will never be a threat to her again. As I said and honestly, I owe Bastila Shan a debt of honor and as a Mandalorian... I'm not sure if you knew that, I cannot ignore it. She saved me from a fate worse than death and she healed me. Your daughter's compassion for an enemy is why I am here today, saving your lives. I checked with the bounty hunter's guild and there is a bounty on the live capture of both of you for a million credits, courtesy of the Sith Empire and Darth Bandon. I in no way intend to allow that bounty to be collected by any of my colleagues and will do anything in my power to keep that promise. Until then I leave my fate in your hands..."

Having already removed his mask while he was rewiring T3, Revan pulled his blaster pistol free from his holster and walked to Bastila's father, handing the weapon to the man and leaving himself defenseless. Eric Shan looked to the weapon and then to the man before him. The stories of Darth Revan had painted the man as a monster and the thought of that monster having his daughter at his mercy... Eric Shan closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as he recalled his little girl, his princess and opened his eyes, the midnight blue dark as he glared at Revan and raised the blaster to the former Sith Lord's head.

"Did you touch her... did you _violate _her?"

The man asked in a tone Revan could honestly say frightened him. Holding the man's gaze, Revan answered truthfully.

"I have never lost control over my actions and I can gladly say no. I did subdue her in combat though I never maimed or cut her. I likewise... I did act like a total bastard for a while to scare her before I tried to turn her to the darkside of the Force but I never got the chance to damage her. She is untouched by me or any other man and has my respect..."

Working around the meaning in Revan's words, Bastila's father did the only thing any father would do to hearing that, he pistol whipped Revan across his face. Revan's head turned though his eyes remained open, locked with Eric's. Unnerved, Bastila's father expelled a long, calming breath before lowering the pistol and nodding slowly. Bastila's mother had other ideas and slapped Revan twice before turning to her husband and embracing him, tears beginning to stream from her blue eyes as she thought of how terrible it must have been for her daughter to be that man, that monster's prisoner. Seeing the blaster still in her husband's hand, Helena Shan was tempted to take it and shoot the monster's unmoving face before something registered to her.

Turning suddenly clear eyes to the man, Helena repeated his words through her mind before coming to a conclusion. Revan loved her daughter or at the very least held some affection for her. The thought was terrifying and flattering at the same time. What a woman Bastila must have grown into if she could break through to the man within the monster Darth Revan had been. Eyes conveying what words would not say, Helena Shan silently forgave Revan though she could never say so aloud and turned them from Revan's brown depths to her husband's dark blue. Seeing that her husband had reached a similar conclusion, Helena remained in her husband's calming arms before a pain constructed in her chest and she released him, coughing violently as she bent at her waist, her hands on her knees. The force of the coughs startled Revan and he took a step towards the woman before a single look from Eric Shan made him back away. The husband helped the wife as best he could and Revan turned his back on the scene, absently rubbing his face and looking to the entrance of the cavern before something beyond the coughing caught his attention.

"Dammit!"

Revan cursed, startling Eric who had quickly raised Revan's blaster towards the former Sith Lord. The look in Revan's face made the man falter and he looked to where Revan was looking, with wide eyes at the beast approaching from the cavern's entrance.   
"We'll never get off before she's on us."

Revan spat, his hand finding his only effective weapon as he pulled off his cloak, revealing a small rocket pack attached to his back.  
"Get to the ship and shoot the damn thing while I distract it! Move!"

Eric nodded, pulling his wife into his arms as the sound of Revan's rocket pack firing filled his ears with a roar. Revan rose rapidly through the air, activating his crimson lightsaber and waving the blade in an arc to draw the Krayt Dragon's attention. The beast was as large as Revan remembered and this time he didn't have the advantage of the Force to mind trick the beast, let alone a squad of ex-Republic soldiers and Malak watching his back. Following the movement of Revan the Krayt Dragon released a deafening bellow as it hobbled with alarming speed towards the former Sith Lord. Shifting his weight, Revan's rise into the air paused as he hovered for nearly a full second before rocketing forward towards the beast. Raising his left arm, Revan unconsciously smirked at the challenge as he fired the single rocket dart in his wrist launcher and shifted his weight again, rising as the small rocket struck the Krayt Dragon in the face, exploding and blinding the creature, though by no means stopping it.

Roaring in pain and confusion, the Krayt Dragon hobbled blindly and thrashed as it felt something land on its back. Revan rushed along the back of the Krayt Dragon with surprising agility, raking his lightsaber along the beast's back and running for its head. In the distance he could see the _Bloodraven_ rising and cursed, wondering if Eric would see him on the beast or even care if he fired. The question was answered when the Basilisk merely floated in the air, the two humans inside watching the former Sith Lord in shocked disbelief. Revan growled under his breath and leapt with the assistance of his rocket pack at the base of the dragon's neck, driving the blade to its hilt into the beast as it roared in agony, thrashing violently. Being struck by the flailing dragon, Revan cursed loudly as his rocket pack compensated for the movement and waved his lightsaber frantically in the air, trying to signal Eric Shan to blow the thing to Hell.

"I think he wants you to shoot."

Helena gasped, still trying to recover from her coughing fit. Eric nodded numbly, turning the nose of the _Bloodraven_ towards its massive target.

"Eric what-"

Helena gasped red-orange blasterfire shot from the _Bloodraven_, striking the Krayt and consuming it in a huge explosion. Never having seen this type of destruction before, Helena could only watch in morbid awe as the air filled with a fine red mist and a massive chunk of the beast vanished. The fire from the explosion rushed outward and engulfed Revan and despite her earlier anger, Helena could not help the concern rising within her. Eric Shan's response was another story. Midnight blue eyes followed a smoke trail left in the air to an approaching speeder atop a nearby dune. Turning the _Bloodraven_ towards the craft, Eric Shan narrowed his eyes, knowing that the person in the speeder had to have seen Revan as well as he could. The shot was deliberate and meant to kill both the beast and Revan.

His decision made, Eric Shan fired the Basilisk's powerful blaster cannons towards the speeder, destroying the craft in a red-orange fireball before he flew over the wreckage, his eyes narrowing as several speeder bikes took off in different directions, one towards the Krayt Dragon.

"That was no accident..."

Eric explained to his wife who was looking at him as if he had grown a second head. A member of the Republic military in his youth during the bloody Sith War of Exar Kun, Eric Shan was no pushover despite his age and he piloted the Basilisk towards the smoking ruin of the Krayt Dragon's corpse, his eyes searching desperately for Revan's form.

On the ground, Calo Nord quickly broke away from the Hell raining down on his minions and rushed to where he had last seen the bounty hunter Raven. Telling Darth Bandon of Raven's treachery was satisfying considering he had nearly died and Calo was given a great incentive to punish the bounty hunter. The same reward as a live capture for the Shans for Raven's death exclusively for him. Bandon of course would kill him upon his return for collection but Calo didn't know that and didn't really care. It wasn't about credits anymore it was about revenge. Raven was a hunter like he was and had abandoned him to his death. Revan of course was having problems of his own as he was trapped beneath a rather disgusting chunk of Krayt Dragon. Struggling to breath as smoke rose slowly from the corpse as well as his armor, Revan choked and coughed, barely pulling himself free from the chunk of flesh when Calo struck.

Perhaps it was the Force. Not even Revan knew what happened. One moment he was struggling to breath and the next his lightsaber was coming to life in his hands, deflecting not one but four of Calo Nord's shots back at him. Calo, having expected an easy kill was struck by all four shots and was dead before he knew what hit him. Revan could only stare in disbelief, tentatively reaching for the Force before a wave of pain seared his mind, causing him to drop to his knees as his vision blurred and the Force was lost to him once more. For some time, Revan knelt there, his hands fisted in the sand and his body blood soaked as he trembled, his eyes closed and foam coming from his mouth. The veins in the former Sith Lord's neck were stretched to the point of bursting as his muscles spasmed and he struggled against the pain to not bite off his own tongue.

Eric Shan and his wife stared at the former Sith Lord in confusion, wondering if perhaps he was injured. Revan did not answer them and only sat there, shivering in the sand. Neither knew how many minutes passed before he finally screamed in agony but both immediately rushed to his side, only to find he had lost consciousness. In the distance, HK-47's blaster rifle could be heard ending the lives of Calo Nord's hired mercenaries and T3-M4's concerned beeps went unheard as the tiny droid scanned its newest master with its sensors, trying to find what was wrong with him.

On Dantooine, Mira was storming from the Jedi Enclave's council chambers after telling the four Masters present to go to Hell. The red-haired bounty hunter paused, her eyes looking to the evening sky of Dantooine and finding the section of space Tatooine inhabited. With a shudder, Mira crossed her arms across her chest and turned to the Jedi Padawan following her.

"I suddenly have a very bad feeling..."

Mira muttered to Bastila's concerned features. Whatever bad feeling Mira had was echoed through the Force and even the Dantooine Masters forgot their annoyance at Mira's dismissal of their offer to look to the sky in confusion. For a moment, Darth Revan had existed once more and everyone who could touch the Force had felt it.


	11. Chapter 11: My Brother's Keeper

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's note: In response to the pairing I am going to use for this story that is still up for grabs. While Revan and Bastila are crucial to one another for her to return to the lightside in the game, most of their closeness is due to a bond that doesn't exist in this story. Atris, I like because she isn't some mindless Jedi Master spouting superiority. Well okay she is but she has very visible flaws and it shows in the game when she finally admits to herself that she is not the Jedi she thought she was and falls to the darkside. From my own perception of Star Wars I don't think of the darkside of the Force as some spirit that possesses someone nor do I think it changes a person so radically that they are hardly recognizable from who they had been. I personally think the darkside is like a drug, a power trip and it adds focus to certain emotions such as anger like alcohol is a depressant, the darkside enrages someone. The lightside is quite the opposite, calming and cleaning in a way though not as simple to access and not with the direct results the darkside offers. Imagine it as someone hopped up on PCP and someone high on life getting locked in a room together and you tell me who's going to walk out of there. While it may impair judgement, I don't think the darkside changes someone or twists what they were. It merely adds on to what is already there, making the flaws in that person's character more tangible. As for Mira... we'll just see where I go in this story. While I favor a Revan/Bastila pairing in most stories I still haven't decided on this one where I want to go.

Chapter 11: My Brother's Keeper

Two brown eyes opened wearily to darkness. Suppressing the panic that threatened to rise within him, Revan blinked several times before his vision cleared and he found himself in a cavern, voices raised in argument echoed though its structure and Revan forced his numb body to sit up, his head turning left then right as he experimentally opened and closed his right and left hands. His armor was coated in a fine mist of dried blood and the stench was still clinging in the air, letting the former Dark Lord of the Sith know he hadn't been unconscious for too long. Slowly turning his eyes to the light glaring through the entrance of the cavern, Revan swallowed a deep breath before rolling to his knees, breathing in deeply and making mental notes of the pain in his chest and shoulders. At the base of his neck, Revan could feel a tingling along his spine as he unconsciously reached for the Force. Quickly drawing away when the memory of searing agony caught up with his consciousness, Revan stood with a suppressed groan, hunched slightly as he breathed heavily against the broken ribs beneath his armor.

"Little help here?"

Revan called weakly to Eric Shan. The man quickly turned from his wife, his eyes wide as he stared at Revan. Helena gaped as well, having thought the man was dying and not expecting him to come to and stand on his own.

"Are- are you."

An exasperated look crossed Revan's features and the question died in Eric Shan's throat.   
"What- what were you two arguing about?"

Revan gasped, slowly making his way to the two humans and leaning against the cavern wall as he turned his eyes to his Basilisk and the still smoking corpse of the Krayt Dragon in the distance.

"I managed to carve out two Krayt Dragon pearls from the Dragon and I wanted to get you to a hospital... as well as Helena but she insisted you should be treated first..."

Revan shrugged as best he could, wincing slightly as pain flared from within.

"Family comes first and medical bills are expensive. No worries I'm ridiculously rich so we can solve both of our problems back at Anchorhead. I'm sure Czerka Corp keeps a medical facility open for its miners."

Eric Shan nodded quickly, glad the argument was over. Helena had outright refused to go to a hospital unless Revan was fully healed first. Knowing the man had risked his life twice to save their own was enough to speak to her of his character, despite the stories she'd heard. Eric had wanted to as well but had pointed out that they couldn't move Revan far if he had a head injury and that they had enough to find treatment for Helena's illness. It was selfish but then, it was his wife and in a choice between Revan or his wife he would chose Helena any day.

Feeling suddenly uneasy, Eric Shan looked back up to meet Revan's eyes. The younger man held his gaze for a moment before he suddenly smirked, due to the pain and blood splattered on his face it looked more like the kind of smirk a Kath Hound would give a Gizak before it devoured it than a playful one.

"Wan- Want to see the reason I fell to the Darkside?"

Revan muttered, his eyes slipping in and out of focus. Eric Shan shook his head, not really wanting to know what horrifying secrets the other man held. Bored, Revan nodded, deciding he would ignore the Starmaps for the time being. He couldn't remember the exact coordinates for the Star Forge but he was certain it was stored on his yacht he had used to escape from Malachor V. He was also certain the Jedi had tried and failed to slice his computer files and that likely the yacht had followed standard security procedure and erased its data banks. Suddenly realizing something, Revan frowned.

"Mind If- if I ask how we got in the cave?"

Eric Shan looked up at the cave and then back to Revan.

"Uhm, this is where you got blown to by the explosion..."

Revan turned his head slowly to see a dubious looking chunk of charred flesh as well as Calo Nord's corpse nearby and shook his head.

"Well at any rate want to do me a favor? If you do I'll get your wife the best treatment the galaxy has to offer?"

Eric and Helena exchanged curious but slightly suspicious looks. Seeing this, Revan resisted the urge to sigh again since the last time he had he thought he felt his lung get punctured by some stray shard of his ribs.

"Not far back in this c-cave is a map. I want you to take a holocron and record it. I don't know whether you have one or not but if not I can g- get one from the ship."

Eric Shan shook his head, reaching for a small device on his belt.

"No its alright, I have one."

Nodding, Revan pushed himself against the cavern wall he was resting on and slowly trekked back to the _Bloodraven_. Helena turned to her husband slowly, finally feeling the situation they were in falling around her.

"What an interesting day."

Helena muttered, moving to help Revan while Eric Shan turned his attention to the large blaster secured on Calo Nord's dead body. Quickly pulling the weapon free of the man's body, Eric Shan unhooked one of Calo's gun belts and turned to the darkness of the cavern, narrowing his eyes against the darkness as he raised the confiscated Mandalorian heavy blaster. If a Krayt Dragon had been there it was unlikely anything else had but it was better to be safe than dead.

Far from Tatooine in near the Galactic Core, the Jedi Temple rose high above the Coruscant city scape. Within its spires and massive halls were arguably some of the best and worst kept secrets of the galaxy. The best since none outside of their practice knew about them and the worst because their enemies did. This was a civil war. A war between Jedi started long before Revan had begun calling himself the Dark Lord of the Sith and long before the Dark Lord of the Sith was any real threat to the Jedi Order. The Jedi Civil war had begun thousands of years before with an idea. The idea that passion gave you strength where serenity could not and because of that idea and that the Masters of the order could not accept it because of the dangers of the darkside, countless billions had died.

Revan had touched the Force briefly on Tatooine. Something that should have been impossible to do without aide. It was impossible; but the Jedi could never have guessed how far the powers of the Force could manifest themselves. Within the bowels of a long abandoned section of the Jedi Temple, the white-clad form of the Jedi Master Atris paid a visit to the Jedi Temple's single prisoner of war, all of the other fallen Jedi had either been killed or were rehabilitated but the Sith in this dark corner of the temple was simply too recognizable to be allowed to roam free, despite his recent rehabilitation. Upon passing a series of sealed corridors with passcodes known only to herself and four other High Council members, Atris paused as she considered her words. Shaking off her indecision, Atris stepped past a massive security droid meant to keep others out rather than in and took in the room's sole inhabitant.

At Six feet six inches the man towered over her but Atris did not feel intimidated. Instead she merely took in the faint scar along the man's jaw where a combination of technology and cloning and the Force had restored much of what was taken from him.

"Malak."

Atris greeted the supposedly dead Dark Lord of the Sith. Malak rose his brown eyes slowly to Atris' blue and smiled, though his eyes seemed much less vibrant than they had before the wars, when they had been colleagues and comrades in the Jedi Order and not bitter enemies.   
"You're here about Revan, aren't you?"

Malak asked, his voice deep, though if one with the proper hearing listened closely they could hear the mechanical undertones of Malak's reconstructed voice box. Atris nodded in response, taking a seat on a small couch and brushing a hand along her elegant robes to straighten them out. Malak in turn seated himself in a chair and abandoned the datapad he had been reading as he gathered his dark brown cloak around him.

"I'm surprised they didn't sent an entire legion of Jedi down here when they felt him..."

Malak muttered more to himself than Atris. Atris rose a brow, smiling slightly.

"I knew it was you, Malak. And besides I think I can deal with you. I nearly bested Revan during the raid on Foerost if I recall correctly and only your intervention saved him. Enough though, are you certain he is ready? It took nearly a year for you to even heal from the wounds you suffered and nearly another before you could touch the Force. And that was after spending most of you efforts on just regaining contact through the light. Revan has had no such assistance."

Malak unconsciously touched the device attached to his wrist. A constant reminder of his deeds and he frowned deeply. There were artifacts and devices that could be used to cut a Jedi off from all but the Darkside of the Force and so to were there objects that could do the same with the Lightside.

"I betrayed him because of the my own feelings not the Darkside. The Darkside merely made it easier to stomach and Revan still knew the attack was coming."

Though he had put it behind him long ago, Malak could still feel the bitter sting in his heart when he thought of Revan's lightsaber slicing through his jaw and maiming him. The insanity of it all was still lingering deep within him but Malak had, with the help of Atris overcome his darkness. He could only hope Revan was still in control of himself now that the Force was slowly opening up to him.

"Darth Nihilus was supposed to seal Traya in a prison of darkness as he had put it. Cut her off from the Force so that only one with the lightside flowing through them could free her. It was done to Revan as well and I am still surprised he escaped with his life despite Bastila Shan's assistance. Revan was so vibrant in the Force I could never see him without it..."

Atris nodded, feeling the same way as Malak on the subject and decided to broach a still unresolved issue.

"Why do you not help us in stopping Darth Bandon? Why would Revan not help?"

Malak's lips pursed slightly as he considered. Finally shaking his head, Malak spoke.

"I will not speak of this, Atris. Bring Revan to me and let me speak to him privately and we may consider telling the Council but I cannot say now. The Council wouldn't believe either of us even if we did tell the truth."

Atris sighed, not pressing the issue singe Malak had been stubbornly refusing to give up all but the most insignificant secrets of the Sith.

"We've learned enough from the Sith we've captured to know there is something called the _Star Forge_ fueling the Sith's war efforts. I don't suppose you'd feel like telling me about that either?"

Sounding bitter, Atris silently waited, calculating the look of pain on Malak's face.

"Revan had a plan. A good one that the Jedi and the Republic could never carry out. Let me tell you right now that a galaxy under Darth Bandon's control is better than the alternative."

Looking angry, Atris spat back.

"And _what_ is that alternative? Why all this secrecy, Malak? Its not as if it could get any worse."

Years before, Malak had said something similar to Revan and he was still reeling from what Revan had shown him. The horror of the True Sith was almost too much for his mind to take, perhaps it was too much but Malak would not blame his actions on madness. He had simply done what he saw was the best for the galaxy as a while and not just the Core or the Mid Rim. The suffering of the Outer Rim still continued despite his and Revan's efforts during the Mandalorian wars and Malak could feel the dark grasp of the True Sith hovering around the edges o the galaxy, waiting to consume the victor of the Jedi Civil War.   
"Bring Revan here. Now that you know he is the Bounty Hunter Raven you can find him. The Force will begin to manifest itself within him once more and perhaps then we can get some results here. The galaxy will never, can never understand why Revan and I did what we did but in a few years none of it will matter, Atris. We'll either be dead or no one will care anymore."

People couldn't care about mass murderers amongst them when they were dead and this was the only thing that stopped Malak from telling Atris what he knew of the True Sith's return. Their reach was further than the Jedi or the Republic could ever guess and only Revan's war, a war of unity despite it being one under a dictatorship was a threat. The Sith could not fight the galaxy as a while but with the Republic as divided as it was, they could easily overtake them and control everything. It was not in martial might that the Sith fought but with lies and deceit and treachery and assassination. Revan had adapted to follow similar guidelines and somewhere along the way, the lines between their enemies and them blurred significantly and suddenly it stopped mattering to them. At least that was how Malak had felt near the end.

"What did you see when you died, Malak?"

Atris asked a familiar question, one Malak had heard nearly every night the past three years. Turning slowly to meet his friend's eyes, Malak licked his lips slightly and sighed.

"Failure."

Malak replied simply. For a moment, when Revan had destroyed his ship, Malak had seen the future as the Force opened up to his dying body and mind and he saw something that broke what little drive he had left. He and Revan would fail and the galaxy would fall. Unnerved, Atris merely said nothing as a silence only comfortable between the closest of friends and siblings formed between the two. If one had asked Atris four years before it she could see herself sitting next to Darth Malak and having a civil conversation she would have likely used the Force to hurl them from her sight but following the exile of Ian Kenobi from the Order, Atris had calmed significantly and the true issues opened up to her, beyond the bitterness of the betrayal of her three friends.

"How did it come to this?"

Atris asked finally. Malak could say nothing since he had no answer, his mind plagued with his own damning knowledge. How he wished to go back to when he was a mere Padawan. Back to where his only worries were of being late to a practice duel or a class and if his and Revan's pranks on Atris and Ian would be discovered by the Masters, or of course if they retaliated in kind.

Mira sighed in sheer frustration as she lowered herself from the branch of the small tree she had climbed.

"Stupid Kath Hounds!"  
The red-haired bounty hunter spat, kicking the corpse of the Kath that had jumped out at her from almost out of nowhere, forcing her to climb the tree quickly before she could even get a good shot in from her wrist gauntlet. Wishing she had taken the time to grab her pistol, Mira silently fumed at the world before something caught her eye.

"Huh. Dead Mandalorians."

Thinking she had finally found Canderous' trail, Mira was sorely disappointed when all she found was a meditating Jedi, a Cathar by the looks of it.

"Hey, you haven't happened to see an angry Mandalorian around here, have you?"

Mira asked, gesturing to the dead bodies before something finally registered to her. One of the dead Mandalorian's armor was burned completely through by a precise hole the size of a lightsaber and on closer inspection the other had a charred black line running along the front of his own armor.  
"I guess you have, uhm. Have you uh seen..."

Mira trailed off as two golden eyes opened slowly, watching her as if she were an snack. It was the same look the Kath Hound had given her earlier. Slowly, the Cathar rose to her feet and stalked to the edge of the grove she had been meditating in. Mira had time to get a bad feeling before the Cathar raised her hand and she suddenly found herself unable to move.

"The Hell?"

Mira shouted, struggling to move as the Cathar stalked closer, her golden eyes narrowed.

"I am Juhani and this is my grove, my place of Darkness."

A crimson beam erupted from the Cathar's hand in a snap-hiss that was all too recognizable and Mira's bad feeling rose significantly.

"Darkness? Oh You've gotta be kidding me!"

Annoyed, the Cathar's eyes became two golden pinpoints as they narrowed dangerously.

"You mock me? I should strike you down like I did my Jedi Master you insignificant ant!"

A pull at the back of her mind had Mira free of the Force-hold.

"Leave me be you fool or I will kill you."

Juhani all but hissed. Mira raised her hands in compliance, a mistake as her sleeve fell slightly to reveal something she probably shouldn't have to someone who's home world was destroyed by Mandalorians. Juhani's eyes locked with the Mandalorian tattoo and she froze, her eyes studying the mark before slowly turning to Mira's.

"Oh Kriffin- Look I know what you're thinking but-"

Mira was cut off by the humming of the Cathar's crimson lightsaber as she gave an enraged battle cry.

"I will be your doom you Mandalorian scum!"

Moving back with instincts honed by three years as a bounty hunter, Mira narrowly missed being sliced in two by the Cathar's lightsaber. Continuing to back away quickly, Mira's leg caught on one of the dead Mandalorians and she fell back, landing with a thud on the ground as the Cathar's lightsaber again streaked where she had been an instant more. Shooting her hand out, Mira took the fallen Mandalorian's vibrosword and pulled it back in a move Revan had shown her, intercepting the Cathar's blade and backing away from the tornado of fury the Cathar had turned into.  
"Look, I'm not one of these guys, okay? I came from the Enclave to find my fri-"

Juhani cut Mira off with another strike, her fury making her attacks much easier to see.

"So you've been sent by the Jedi to kill me then, hunter?"

Surprised at the cold feeling within her mind and the intrusion, Mira frowned.

"Hey, don't read my mind and no I am not here to kill you."  
Breathing heavily, Mira wondered if the Cathar even heard her protests as she struck again. The sound of a blasterbolt whizzing by drew the Cathar's attention as she moved to block it and Mira sighed in relief when she saw Carth, his pistols raised in both hands. She knew it was a warning shot to the enraged Cathar but she had serious doubts that the Cathar knew. Juhani in turn called on the Force and leapt high into the air, causing Carth to look up with an almost comical expression before he reacted and rolled away, Juhani's lightsaber driving into the ground where he had been an instant before.

"I will kill you both! Just as I killed my Master Quatra!"

Carth fumbled to get a bearing on the Cathar's expecting to be dead when he heard the sound of a dart flying through the air and saw the enraged Cathar stagger from a paralysis dart. Nearly fifteen yards away, Mira pulled her left hand away from her gauntlet with a sigh.  
"I remember how that feels..."

Carth grumbled, pulling himself slowly to his feet as he turned to look at his and Mira's attacker. If he hadn't overhead another Jedi speaking of a Master Quatra being injured in a duel he may have considered disposing of her then and there. Well that and it looked like Mira had other ideas.

"Alright now lets talk like civil people here. I didn't come here to kill you I came here to find a friend of mine who happens to be a Mandalorian and before you say anything he's a good Mandalorian. He's going around helping the people of Dantooine by killing all of this Dravi Clan scum but if he was here right now you'd probably be dead. A friend of mine knows all about this darkness stuff and I think you should talk to him before you go deciding to join the Sith. He might have a thing or two to say to you about that."

Carth furrowed his brow in confusion as he turned his attention to Mira. Shrugging off his suspicion since she was a bounty hunter and likely had a lot of contacts, Carth turned back to the paralyzed Cathar  
"You didn't kill your Master. She's still alive and back at the Enclave's medical facility. I know as much because I didn't have much to do this past week besides talk to Jedi. Mira's right I think you should reconsider the whole Darkness thing... whatever that is..."

Having not heard the initial conversation between the two, Carth sighed and turned to Mira, deciding to get to the reason he was there.

"We found Canderous sitting with Zalbaar on a hill, roasting a Kath Hound and regaling each other with tales of unpleasant things. Mission's back with them and Bastila is settling a dispute between some locals over- Hell I dunno she sounded pretty flustered when she called my comm and wanted us to head over there."

Mira nodded absently to Carth, eyeing the Cathar a moment before she stalked over and pulled the deactivated lightsaber from her hand.

"I'll hold on to this a moment and just..."

Injecting the antidote to Juhani, who appeared much calmer than before, Mira quickly backed away, enjoying Carth's exasperated curse as he readied his blasters.   
"You- you both speak the truth..."

Juhani said slowly, probing both human's minds with the Force and pulling away before lowering her head in shame.

"I- I am I am deeply sorry I-"

Unable to finish, Juhani turned away from the two.  
"I think we're good here, Carth. Go help Bastila with those locals while I clear some things here."

Nodding slowly, Carth lowered his pistols, offering one to Mira who quickly shook her head to the offer.

"No thanks, just go."

Casting one last wary glance at the Cathar, Carth trudged away towards the Matale estate where Bastila had found herself between a feuding family who's children had decided to fall in love and were causing quiet the scene. Arriving on the scene nearly an hour later, Carth found that Bastila had bothered Canderous and the others into helping her as well, resulting in Canderous knocking out both of the two arguing adults and telling the kids to beat it before he blasted them. When the fathers of Shen Matale and Rahasia Sandral regained consciousness, both looked slightly fearful in the face of the glare Canderous sent them while being more reasonable, Carth attempted to explain to the two men in a reasonable tone how they should put aside their differences for their children. When the two men began bickering like an old married couple, Carth threw his hands up in surrender and walked away.

"Forget it Bastila. There's no point and I think if we stay any longer Canderous is just going to shoot them."

Seeing that Canderous was grinning at the idea, Bastila quickly interjected and allowed the Mandalorian and Wookiee to return to their meal while Mission looked on blankly at the two arguing adults.

"This is lame."

Mission decided, turning to join Canderous and Zalbaar while Carth snickered and decided it would be best to return to the Enclave to stock up on supplies for the _Ebon Hawk_ and see if the Republic Fleet Command had a new assignment for him or if they wanted him to just sit on Dantooine for another week. Remembering that he was being pressured to take break from the combat by his previous commanding officer, Carth frowned. Maybe he would wait for them to contact him.


	12. Chapter 12: No More Masks

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 12: No More Masks

The Kolto must flow. Or so someone with an overactive imagination and too much free time had once said. Revan, of course could care less for Kolto when the more advanced and much less smelly Bacta was in ready supply. But of course it was not in ready supply since his holdings on Nar Shadda under his alias _Raven_ were all being watched by his fellow bounty hunters and the Sith. Instead of dipping into his hard earned funds, Revan decided to have some fun and perhaps scare the hell out of Bandon by activating his old accounts that he had established while being the Lord of the Sith. A painful and cramped two day trip from Tatooine to Manaan followed where Revan wrapped his ribs as best he could and tried not to overtax himself while Eric and Helena Shan would visit with him, he preferring they talk since talking hurt like Hell. Revan was mainly content to do as little as possible while his ribs healed much too slowly for his tastes.   
Tempted to reach for the Force on several occasions out of a childhood habit, Revan had nearly asked Eric Shan to fit him with a neural disruptor for the remainder of the trip. Despite the possibility that the Force could heal him well before those two days were up, Revan recalled a very unpleasant headache that he was beginning to think was a seizure brought on by some missing chunk of his mind Nihilus had taken from him. Whatever the case, Revan was not comfortable reaching for the Force in the condition he was in. A good day or two in a kolto tank would be just what the Healer ordered.

"How much longer..."

Revan grumbled to the older man that had forced his way into the _Bloodraven's_ small hold that acted as a set of bunks and storage space. Revan was sitting on the floor, his back against the bulkhead as he tried not to jar himself.

"I'd say another hour if we stay on the main hyperspace routes and another to get to Manaan's surface from the edge of the system."

Revan closed his eyes as he attempted to concentrate through the haze of pain clouding his mind.

"That's a lot of open space not under Manaan's protection for my liking. So long as the violence doesn't take place in the inner system they really don't care..."

Eric Shan nodded, taking Revan's word on the matter. Obviously the younger man knew what he was talking about.

"That display on Tatooine. When the other bounty hunter attacked you... How- what exactly happened?"

Deciding that pain was better than stupid questions, Revan opened one eye, giving Bastila Shan's father a dark look before raising his left hand from his side where he had been cradling his ribs and waving it in the air in a ridiculously mocking motion.

"The Force!"

Revan gasped in a whisper, calling on a long lost weapon, a long lost power and to his utter surprise, feeling it answer him. Staring blankly at the cargo container he had lifted from the ground at a single thought and unneeded gesture, Revan met Eric Shan's hardening eyes with a surprised expression.  
"I don't... I don't understand..."

Revan finally muttered, using the Force to set the object down. It had been three years since he had touched the Force and Revan had nearly forgotten the feeling. A sense of lightheadedness filled him as he grunted and closed his eyes, delving deeper and being met not with pain, but with a stream of steady and massive power. A power lost to him for years and then suddenly open to him. Delving deeper, Revan recalled the techniques taught to him by his late Master and poured more and more energy into his body until the very air around him hummed with static.  
Opening clear brown eyes, Revan smiled suddenly, the pain in his body numbed by the Force and steadily healing at an accelerated rate. Much to Eric Shan's surprise and dismay, Revan was instantly on his feet, letting out a laugh that could be considered evil and insane, or perhaps overjoyed.   
"Oh you wonderful, terrible bastard! Calo Nord if you were alive I'd kiss you."

Furrowing his brow in both frustration and confusion, Eric Shan backed away slowly from the raving lunatic he was trapped with and turned to find the blaster Revan had given to him and neglected to take back. As he leveled it to the former Dark Lord of the Sith, Revan turned to him, his smile dropping at the sight.

"I can't let you become Darth Revan again. I can't subject the galaxy to that once more."

Revan's jaw clenched as he finally understood the situation he was in. His lightsaber was in the cockpit and he was still too wounded to do much dodging. The answer to his problems came when a blaster power pack hummed and he turned to the rust-colored droid that seemed to appear from the bulkhead.

"Amused Threat: As if Master would be threatened at all by a useless meatbag such as yourself. How is it you can stand all those organs and water sloshing about? Perhaps if I free them you will feel better."

"HK."

Revan warned quickly, drawing the droid's attention.

"Shut down."

The assassin droid's eyes flashed defiantly, its lust for bloodshed and will to protect its master conflicting with its orders but in the end the assassin droid's eyes dimmed and vanished as its powerful frame slumped and stood motionless. Turning back to Eric Shan, Revan was tempted to just snatch the weapon from the other man's hand through the Force but he wasn't entirely certain he was up to it as his side screamed in a suddenly distracting pain and his hands clenched into fists.

"I'll say this once..."

Revan began, his tone filled with ice. Eric Shan's face wore surprise for some unfathomable reason that Revan didn't bother deciphering by reading the man's mind.

"You do not want to do this. I can force you easily and I can kill both you and your wife and then hunt down your daughter and make her literally my slave if I wanted."

As if to prove his statement, a bolt of blue-white lightning snaked around Revan's right hand as his persona darkened considerably and his eyes filled with a golden light, reflecting like mirrors in the small hold.

"I can make you all suffer a pain that will eat at your very skin and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't enjoy it. You are weak, powerless and blind to this strength..."

Revan paused, the light leaving his eyes as they darkened to brown once more.

"But I do not want to do that. What I said before on Tatooine still holds true. I don't want to enslave Bastila anymore. I don't want you or your wife dead and most certainly am sick of being a bloody target to the Sith as I am. I don't need the added trouble though... I daresay it would be good laugh to frighten a few of the bastards. No, I haven't changed since I was the Dark Lord of the Sith but I have changed my priorities. My... previous strategy was weak and perhaps a little hasty. Despite what I've seen and what I know that much was true. If you lower that weapon I will tell you my goals..."

Eric Shan, unnerved did not move; instead keeping the blaster trained on Revan's face. By this point, Helena had heard all the commotion and had come to stand by her husband's side, watching the young man with a mixture of sadness and fear.

"How about you tell me your goals then I-"

Eric Shan's demand was cut off by a wave of energy that stunned him. Without any visible effort, Revan raised his hand and called the blaster from Eric Shan's hand to his own and holstered the weapon. Silence filled the room for some time after that before Revan finally recovered enough strength to keep his voice strong. He in no way wanted to appear weak to this man.

"I respect you and I had hoped after Tatooine that you would respect me-"

Revan was cut off by the other man's voice.

"I can't respect someone who kills without conscience."

Revan rose a brow, smiling at an old technique he had used to break Jedi once, long ago.

"There is no emotion. There is peace. The Jedi kill without conscience. Are you telling me you sent your little girl to be a mindless killer?"

Uncertainty filled the air surrounding the two parents and Revan allowed them their own private thoughts, not bothering to invade their minds since he could read them so easily through their expressions.

"I still have my honor... for the most part so I'll tell you now. I don't intend to hide anymore. Being blinded to the Force is so much more than you can understand. All of your senses are dulled so greatly you can barely see or feel or breath... all- I can't even begin to tell you how it feels. I am not bitter though, it needed to be done to open my eyes. I would not have survived on the road I previously took and this is my second chance. We're going to drop out of hyperspace over Manaan and I am going to get your wife treatment and I am going to be Darth Revan once more but not as before. I'm not doing this for power, power I have plenty of. I'm doing this because its right and in the end... I think that is all that truly matters. Not numbers and strategy and sacrifice. What matters is if its right..."

A haunted look clouded Revan's eyes as he thought of all the people who had died because of him. It was a pain he buried beneath the thought that in the end it would be better. In the end, when the threat of the True Sith was vanquished and so many more would be alive than had been dead in his visions, then it would be enough and he could die in peace. That was not true though and Revan could not deny it any longer. This time, he wouldn't exploit his power, this time he would do not what was needed of him, but what was right.  
"You two get some sleep... I have a few calls to make."

Without bothering to take in their responses, Revan stepped past the two and left them alone, HK-47's shadowy form standing silent watch over their conversation.

"I don't trust him..."

Eric Shan finally muttered, earning a look from his wife.

"Eric he had been nothing but honest with us and has saved our lives twice. I may not like it but- but my heart is telling me to trust that man..."

Eric looked annoyed as he nodded his agreement with his wife. Revan had been nothing but kind, generous even to them at least following his initial terrifying appearance. A question as to why Revan became what he had called in the back of Eric Shan's mind and he shook his head, turning to his wife with a new outlook.

"He has lied to us..."

At Helena's look he continued before she smacked him, or interrupted him.

"He said he could torture and kill us and he would enjoy it but... I don't think he would have... I don't think he ever did enjoy it. There's something hidden, some reason he did what he did and I intend to find it. Whatever it may be it concerns all of us, not just him."

Helena nodded, seating herself on a cargo container out of emotional and physical exhaustion as she looked up to her husband.

"Did we do the right thing sending Bastila to the Jedi? I- I can't help but wonder what has become of her. I know Revan spoke highly of her but- what if she isn't... what if she's forgotten about us?"

Eric Shan looked to his wife and then to his feet as he remained silent. He could not answer simply because he didn't know.

On Dantooine, Mira broke into a sprint as she rushed towards the Jedi Council Chambers. Without bothering to speak to the Padawan standing at the door, Mira ignored the four Councillors that stared at her and went straight to Bastila Shan.

"We have a problem."

Mira stated, handing a datapad to the other woman as she attempted to catch her breath. Mira had been looking over recent bounties to see if there were any opportunities on Dantooine when she came across a very large bounty on herself, Revan and much to her disgust, Bastila Shan's parents. Bastila looked at the Masters before turning to Mira and taking the datapad. The gasp she gave was unavoidable and the young woman reddened with anger.

"Peace, Bastila."

Zhar Lestin called, his voice unheard as Bastila turned her suddenly steel gray eyes to Mira, her features stone.

"Contact Revan immediately. I want him to find them and protect them. I don't care how he does it or how much it costs. I will give him anything he asks."

Looking extremely disturbed by this, Vrook Lamar stormed over to Bastila, snatching the datapad from her hands and ignoring the blank look she gave him. Reading the datapad, Vrook sighed, the situation growing steadily worse.

"There's been a bounty placed on the heads of Bastila's parents. If they are within the borders of the Republic we are obligated to find and protect them. We'll speak of your emotional control later, Bastila but right now we need privacy as we confer with the High Council as to our course of action. We cannot have Jedi families being targeted. It would be too dangerous and could lead to the utter collapse of our order..."

Scrolling along the list, Vrook's stern countenance saddened as he saw that Bastila's weren't the only Jedi family targeted.

"This is... this is beneath even Revan and Malak."

Vrook stated at last, disgusted by Darth Bandon. Turning to Mira, Vrook nodded his thanks and returned to the other Masters who looked extremely troubled by the new turn of events.

On Coruscant, the former apprentice of Darth Revan, Malak tilted his head slightly, as if listening for a distant sound. An enigmatic smile crossed the former Sith Lord's face as he felt Revan for the first time in three years. More to himself than the other Jedi that stared at him questioningly, Malak spoke in his deep, though mechanically scarred voice.

"Welcome back, my old friend."

Atris rose a brow at Malak's words but said nothing, reaching into the Force for answers and finding them as a bright presence that had been absent and diminished for three years was firmly reestablished.

"By the Force, Malak. Are you sure that he is- trustworthy?"

Malak turned his dark eyes to Atris and nodded slowly.

"Revan and I have our secrets, Atris. But I do know he had been gone far too long. He had a destiny before him and I tried to steal it. I am glad I did not for it would have turned me into a madman likely worse than Darth Bandon but I can say for certainty Revan always had a reason, a damned good one for his actions and-"

Malak was cut off by a beep from Atris' wrist communicator. Answering the comm, Atris and Malak listened as the Council's Grandmaster Nomi Sunrider filled them in on the situation. The Jedi Archives had been compromised by a Sith insurgent and the names of the families of the Jedi fighting against the Sith were being broadcast over the Bounty Hunter's guild.

"I think you picked a good time to give Revan back his strength, Malak. It proves you can touch the light and he is going to need all the strength he can get..."

Malak nodded somberly, standing and following Atris as she stood to join the rest of the High Council. At Atris' questioning look, Malak finally came to his decision.

"He needs my help and if it means revealing our secrets to get that end. So be it."

Atris nodded, wanting to go herself but knowing the Council had other concerns, mainly the war and the recent addition of bounties on Jedi families.

"Very well. I am certain you will be met by the Council with fairness. You have my vote my friend."

Malak offered a smile, his scars along his face still visible though still healing with the aid of the Force. The light suited Malak well and for the first time since losing his jaw to Revan's anger, he felt at peace and whole again.

"I can tell you now the Council won't like it."

Atris shrugged, offering a hollow laugh.

"How much worse can it get?"

Seeing that Malak was not smiling, Atris' own smile vanished. Malak nodded as understanding flooded the Echani Jedi Master's features as he casually threw and arm around her shoulders and directed her towards the lift to the Council chambers.

"Famous last words, Atris. As Revan would say:_ It can always get worse_."

Across a great expanse of war and nothingness, Revan stepped off of the _Bloodraven,_ his features obscured though completely recognizable. Aside from the replacement of his own vambrace with two wrist gauntlets, Revan's battle robes he worse as the Dark Lord of the Sith and his very recognizable mask remained the same. The Selkath sent to greet Revan could only gape at the former Dark Lord of the Sith as Revan casually paid the Selkath and spoke in a voice the entire galaxy knew and wished they had heard for the last time three years before.

"Do take care of my ship my good man. I would hate for any unpleasantness to rise because of... incompetence."

The Selkath stuttered in its native language, a sound Revan found both painful to listen to and hilarious. Resisting the urge to laugh, Revan waited calmly as Eric and Helena Shan followed him down the landing ramp and into Ahto City, their faces a mixture of fear and amusement.

"Well... he certainly is a bold one..."

Helena Shan decided finally. Eric Shan gave a nervous laugh. Despite the guarantee from Revan that Manaan was the safest place in the galaxy because of its neutrality, he still had his doubts and the appearance of a holonet reporter and holocrew did not ease his fears.

"Bastila!"

Carth shouted as he rushed into the Council chambers, his features were tense and his eyes darted about as if he was expecting another Sith Lord to just appear out of nowhere. The exasperated looks on the four Dantooine Councillor's faces went unnoticed by Carth as he tossed a holocron to the floor and watched it activate.

"I don't think Raven is going to find your parents... This was broadcast over the holonet not ten minutes ago and I just got off the line with Fleet command. They've identified both humans with Revan as Helena and Eric Shan... your parents... I'm so sorry, Bastila..."

Carth looked up, expecting to see either a Jedi mask or devastation on Bastila's face but instead was met by a relieved smile. Turning to the Council members in confusion, Carth noted they didn't look incredibly concerned.

"I must speak to Mira immediately..."

Bastila said aloud, bowing to the Council members and leaving a completely confused Carth behind. Looking on in concealed amusement, the Council called the lost Republic officer to their little circle and began filling the Commander in on the missing parts of the bounty hunter Raven's history.

"We have every confidence that Darth Revan is seeking atonement for his crimes... As he is not a citizen of the Republic being a member of the Jedi Order, the High Council exercises its jurisdiction in this matter and refuses any extradition of Revan or Malak to the Republic."

Carth took about two minutes to finally respond to that.

"Hold on a second. Malak? MALAK too? What is this, a _Night of the Korriban Zombies_, Sith Lord Style? What the Hell is going on here?"

Sighing at the man's outburst, Vandar Tokare, cleared his gravely throat to explain the details of what the Council on Coruscant had learned from Malak over the last three years and more importantly what he was revealing at that very moment.


	13. Chapter 13: Chosen to Fall

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 13: Chosen to Fall

"I know why you are here..."

Revan began slowly, sitting casually in a chair at an Ahto city restaurant and slowly sipping a glass of fine Alderanian brandy as his mask sat upon the tabletop. If there were any doubts as to Revan's true identity during his initial appearance on Manaan they were quickly crushed when the Manaan government released the sensor data taken of Revan as he entered their city casually. As a guest with no criminal records on the watery world, Revan fell under Manaan's neutrality agreement with both the Sith and Republic. Without charges, the Selkath could make no move on Revan and instead chose to give the former Dark Lord of the Sith his space. Diverting any Sith or Republic interlopers, the Selkath did an admirable job of keeping Revan and his two guests separated from the volatile situation that had already been strained on Manaan. Brushing a hand through his wild; shoulder-length brown hair, Revan focused his eyes on Helena and Eric Shan. Both of whom took the two seats open on the table across from Revan and sitting in silence as the former Sith Lord turned bounty hunter absently rubbed his well-trimmed goatee.

"You said you know why we are here?"

Helena began impatiently, the treatments she had been given by the local Healers draining any semblance of patience she had. Eric Shan sat stiffly, staring at Revan as if he could unravel the other man's plans by his hard gaze. Revan ignored the look and continued, his voice laced slightly with the effects of his drink.

"Why do I bother with the two of you when I could simply snatch your daughter from under the Jedi's collective noses and leave the galaxy to its fate? Is that not what you wished to know?"

Eric Shan nodded stiffly while Helena shifted in her seat, unable to meet Revan's eyes for a moment. Finally collecting herself, Helena met Revan's bloodshot brown eyes.

"You gave up your daughter to an Order that denies her a normal life. She is taught from the beginning to suppress and ignore her emotions and do what is in the interests of the greater good of the galaxy. Oft times what is in the interests of the greater good is questionable and during war the line between right and wrong, good and evil blur further. First of all it is obvious to me that you both have had a life filled with uncertainty and danger... I can feel it in your auras and I know you didn't want that kind of a life for your daughter. You gave her up for her own good and I am sorry to say she is being used as a bloody shield against the Sith I created. Hell she was used against me and I must say the girl is quite effective if not a little too bold for her own good. You gave up your daughter, your flesh and blood for her to have a better life but instead she has fallen into a life you tried to spare her of. I can respect your decisions and I will tell you freely that your daughter excels where lesser Jedi would wilt and crumble under the strain."

Revan took another sip of his brandy, setting the glass on the table and standing slowly as he began to pace.

"I can see the two of you are good people and I find myself at a crossroads. I look at the two of you, I see your sacrifices and your suffering and that of your child and I see the cause of it. Me. The Mandalorian wars were a series of slaughters orchestrated by an ancient race to cover another war. A war being waged on the far edge of our galaxy and beyond the expanses of the nothingness between the other galaxies... The war is as ancient as time... Good and evil, the light and dark constantly bearing down on one another and seeking dominance. While light can exist in darkness, darkness cannot exist in light. There is an imbalance in the way of things, the Force and it is slowly weakening the Jedi as a whole. Given enough time the Jedi may even one day be blind to the Force's will. This may sound like a simple rant to you but there is a very real war being fought and I don't mean with ships and machines and soldiers. I mean within us all."

Revan paused in his pacing long enough to turn and clasp his hands at the small of his back as he continued, his eyes never leaving the Shans.

"I was given a vision during the war of soldiers marching on the Jedi Temple and turning on the Jedi. I had thought by their appearance that they were Mandalorians but I could feel through the vision that they were Republic soldiers..."

Revan did not speak for some time, the restaurant abandoned aside from its owner whom Revan had paid handsomely to close the establishment for the day.

"I knew then the threat to the Jedi Order would come from those we served. I couldn't allow that to happen so I had a device created and placed on Malachor V and I waited until the Mandalorians and those I saw who were least loyal to the Jedi, to me were within range. If you've seen recent holos of Malachor V you can guess the result. It was strange sending so many of my own men, my friends, even one of my former Masters to die there but it was for the greater good. What good could there be in a galaxy ruled by darkness?"

Helena and Eric looked slightly ill at the casual way Revan spoke of the deaths of hundreds of thousands. Malachor V was merely a graveyard and the floating hulks of thousands of ships both Republic and Mandalorian drifted in that shattered world's orbit, their crews still entombed in their destroyed bulkheads.

"From there I sought out an advantage to use against the Republic when they turned on us. Numbers alone would overwhelm the Jedi and the surprise of the betrayal would claim too many... I found an ancient map on a dead world and from there, Malak and I sought the Star Forge. The glory of the Infinite Empire."

At this, Eric Shan's brow rose as he spoke, unable to resist the thought of an ancient relic. He was a treasure hunter after all.

"Are you telling me that thing actually exists? I've only heard the barest of clues buried in the ancient ruins of the worlds I've been on of the Infinite Empire and they all spoke of the Star Forge."

Revan took in a deep breath and released it slowly, nodding.

"The Star Forge is very real and it is what fueled my war for the first year against the Republic. Endless resources and ships and droids... technology the likes of which even the best of the Republic's scientists could only dream of and a way to end the threat to the Jedi. Of course the Order needed to be restructured or the Star Forge would only be handed over to the Republic and I had to look further from the Star Forge to find the answer. The Sith of the Great Hyperspace war fled beyond our sight and we thought them dead but they live still and Malak and I held council with them for a great many weeks before we were given an opportunity that would bring an answer to my visions. We would be the Sith's ambassadors to the Republic... We would _reeducate_ the galaxy in the ways of the Sith and in so doing prepare it for their arrival..."

Revan kept his eyes focused on the two humans, watching their faces shift to looks of confusion and irritation to horror.

"I had no intention of just handing the galaxy over to the Sith but I had to satisfy certain quotas to keep them from looking too closely into my affairs. A Jedi Master here or there a world, a few thousand slaves and all was well. In the meantime I worked on building a droid that could stand the challenge of a Sith or Jedi and I made HK-47. I had begun work on mass producing a series of newer but much less efficient models of HK-50's on Malachor V but my plans were... shall we say interrupted by a breakdown of my command."

Eric Shan nodded in understanding, though he was having difficulty believing Revan's story it did make sense in a twisted way.

"You were betrayed and overthrown."

Revan returned the older man's nod and turned his back to him, swallowing before he continued. On Coruscant, Malak spoke a similar tale to the Jedi High Council.

"From there on, Revan and I became curious as to the effects the dark side would have upon us and we lost ourselves in the violence. Revan maintained control but in the end that became his flaw as he needed to control everything. He became paranoid and ruthless and I questioned his authority. It was how I lost my jaw. I in turn went quite mad and you know the rest..."

Malak, former Dark Lord of the Sith finished the tale Revan had begun on Manaan to the Jedi Council, revealing for the first time the true depths of their reasons for falling. Silence filled the High Council chambers as the holograms of Master Vrook and Vandar flickered in the towering spire of the Jedi Temple. After a long silence, Atris finally spoke.

"So... you are saying that Revan had a vision of the Republic turning on the Jedi and destroying the temple and that the True Sith are staging an attack on the Republic?"

Malak nodded slowly, his eyes weary from his tale.

"Revan showed me part of the vision... of a Jedi Knight turning on us to side with the Republic and I saw him slaughtering his fellow Jedi and- and younglings... it was... beyond anything I could have expected of a Jedi then. I suppose Revan and I showed you what Jedi were capable of..."

Nomi Sunrider's pale eyes narrowed though she kept her remark of _Sith_ to herself. Malak was making steps towards redemption and she couldn't in good conscience destroy him as she had Ulic when she had cut him off from the Force years before. Her once red hair faded to a bright white, though some stray marks of red could still be seen as it shadowed the Jedi Grandmaster's features. Finally finding her voice, Nomi Sunrider lifted her eyes from the Council Chamber's floor and locked them with Malak's.

"How is it that the Sith do not attack now that Revan and yourself are no longer their emissaries?"

Malak sneered slightly as he responded to Nomi's question.

"They feel the deaths of Jedi still, they felt the death of Taris and much more terrible than Bandon, these Sith have patience. They have already waited a thousand years for their revenge and who is to say they won't wait a thousand or even four thousand more? They orchestrated the falls of Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma. They did the same for Revan and I and they also pressured the Mandalorian Clans into fighting their war. Even Freedon Nadd's uprising was a part of their plan. They send assassins and spies deep into the Republic and watch from the shadows as we destroy ourselves and do their job for them. Revan and I at least knew this but I doubt Bandon even considers it or cares. We took action for the greater good and we failed... we failed horribly..."

Several of the High Councillors voiced their agreement to Malak's statement, drawing a flicker of pain in Malak's aura that several chose to enjoy. Malak was learning his lesson and they could scold him as much as they wanted. He was broken and would be no threat to them again. As if reading the mood in the room, Malak clenched his artificial jaw, his regenerated skin tightening against the mechanical jawline as his rebuild muscles clenched and his jawline twitched.

"You still aren't listening to me. We need to move the Jedi to hidden locations. Avoid this war and let it play out until the True Sith and the Republic reveal their hand..."

Master Aleco Stusea chose that moment to voice her opinion.

"This is all based on a vision and while the threat of the True Sith is a legitimate one it is not one we are unprepared for. You said yourself the soldiers in your vision wore full armor and helmets obscuring their features... armor very similar to the armor your Sith wear and it is very likely that the Jedi Revan saw in his vision was himself. Visions have a way of clouding the future... We can't take what we see at face value or our actions to prevent it may very well cause the events to unfold. My fellow Masters and I have had visions for years, Vandar himself had a vision of your friend, Ian Kenobi becoming a great Jedi and yet he is dead to the Force, a weapon Revan tried to use against us and what of the children and Jedi the figure in Revan's vision slew? Symbols of innocence and betrayal. You must admit that both yourself and Revan have murdered and betrayed."

Nomi Sunrider chose that moment to speak, calling a silence over the Council she had been Grandmaster of for nearly a decade.

"Time will tell us what actions we must take to ensure the safety of our Order and the Republic but until that time there is the more immediate threat the Dantooine Council has uncovered as well as the whereabouts of Darth Revan . They are our primary concerns..."

A majority of the other Masters, with the exception of Kavar and Atris agreed and it was decided that a party of Jedi would be sent to Manaan to invite Revan to a meeting with the High Council if he was willing to speak. Malak looked extremely troubled but remained a silent statue as the Council continued speaking, ignoring his presence until Atris suggested Malak go. To this, the Council stopped and took stock of the situation. Were Malak to join Revan again it would be a grave threat but Malak was perhaps the only one aside from Atris that could make Revan see the truth of his visions. That perhaps they were not what they appeared. A shame the visions were given to the Jedi Order four thousand years before they were needed. And to be so horribly misinterpreted could only have been called a tragedy.

On Manaan, Revan had just finished his tale of the reasons behind his actions and had retaken his seat, downing the remains of his brandy in one gulp.

"You ask still why I confide in you?"

To this, Helena nodded shakily while Eric merely sat there, still and looking pale.

"You didn't run when you thought I was there to kill you. You weren't resigned to your fates either and you offered yourself in the place of your loved one. I'm still Mandalorian and Jedi enough to respect honor when I see it and despite my better judgement I respect you."

Eric Shan finally found his voice and called to Revan as the former Lord of the Sith poured himself another glass of brandy.

"How can you speak of your crimes so calmly... How can you live with it?"

Revan's left eyebrow shot up as he lifted his glass and swirled the drink a moment, taking a sip and savoring the burning liquid.

"This is a war... I am a tactician. I look at the numbers of who will be lost and what will be gained and I calculate the outcome. Its simple mathematics when you look at it from the outside. When you see the situation with an open mind. While the Jedi and Republic have kept order in the galaxy for thousands of years, peace is a whole other matter. How many have died because of the Great Hyperspace war or the Hundred Years Darkness or the Light and Darkness wars? Even the Great Sith War is an open wound and my war, this Jedi Civil war if you will is going to have lasting effects. The potential for destruction is there, yes but who writes the history texts but the victors? Who is to say a thousand years ago that the Sith were so terrible as we were told? They are terrible, I admit but they have honor where others I would have called allies do not. They kill with purpose and they kill with indifference. They do not relish the kills as a whole. They feed from death but they do not care, they do this not for power but for revenge. A thousand years ago the Republic and the Jedi exacted what can only be viewed as genocide of the Sith race labeling the race too dangerous to be left alive. A race full of Force sensitives and the descendants of ancient outcast Jedi who believed that through passion strength could be gained and not through the Jedi's beliefs of patience and hope in the Force. The Sith believed in power, not the Force. They believed they could control fate if they were strong enough and believed enough and in the end the Jedi and Republic, the beacons of justice and light in the galaxy had them all but destroyed."

Revan took a generous swig of his brandy and continued, his voice still strong, through slightly dry.

"The Mandalorian wars were ignored by the Jedi Order as a whole and it was in that war that I saw the Jedi's faults. Not just the ones who had followed me and fallen but the way of life I had sworn to uphold and had turned my back on to protect what my oath had entitled. I went to war to save the Republic and in doing so I saw how unworthy the Republic was of my saving. I saw that the flaws in their government ran so deep that it rivaled the corruption of even the darkest Sith Empire and I see that I was wrong in going to war to save the Republic. My visions furthered my belief and I was left with only my own strength and the loyalty of my soldiers. With that I tried to change the galaxy, tried to convert the Jedi, the only family I have ever had to see what I saw to do what I did and to think how I thought. Victory does not lie in a battle, vanquishing your foes at the end of your own blade. Victory, true victory comes in a belief. Making your enemies believe what you believe and ensuring your beliefs live beyond your race. It is why the Sith have been so mighty, why they also have my respect."

Revan was silent for some time, choosing his next words and ignoring the looks of disgust on the Shan's faces.

"I have only been good at killing. As a Mandalorian I was too thoughtful, too easily distracted and as a Jedi I was too arrogant, too bold or too questioning. What are our beliefs if no one questions them? Are they truly perfect? Are they truly the guide we should live by? If the entire galaxy believed what the Jedi did and followed their rules they would die out in a few short generations yet Nomi Sunrider, who was not a Jedi until her husband's master trained her and had married a Jedi is now the Grandmaster of the High Council, dictating terms to us that she herself did not uphold until later. Her daughter and her have a ridiculously obvious attachment and she condemned Ulic Qel-Droma to blindness and pain when he was so close to redemption. This is well known because the Mandalorians had a vested interest in Ulic. He had bested their leader and they honored him greatly for it and suffered because of Exar Kun's folly."

Irritated, Revan rounded on the Shan's his features set as he drove in his final point.

"How do you know what you've been told is true? How do you know that history is what it seems? How do you know those ruling you have followed your beliefs, your laws? When I learned of these things I felt betrayed, wronged and used. I felt violated to have these terms dictated to me by someone who did not follow those beliefs so I took matters into my own hands and I led my soldiers and my growing empire by example. I had my faults but I never asked another to do something I myself was unprepared to do. Can you say the same of Jedi High Council or the Republic's Senate or High Chancellor?"

A muscle in Eric Shan's jaw twitched and Revan could sense frustration emanating heavily from the older man as he chose his words.

"I can say, honestly that the Republic has never in my lifetime condoned genocide and I doubt the Jedi have either for that matter. How is it you can judge the actions of Jedi a millennium ago? There are long-lived species in the galaxy, yes but how many of those alive during the Great Hyperspace war are alive today?"

A vicious smile crossed Revan's mouth and he took his eyes from Eric Shan's face and looked down to his drink.

"Apathy can be as great a crime as genocide if give the right circumstances. If one is to be uncaring, apathetic when others need them... If people with great gifts that can make a difference do nothing are they not helping those who commit evil in continuing their ways? By not stopping them are they not in a way responsible? We should all be held responsible for the corruption and greed and evil that surrounds us. I was stopped before I could finish shaping my Empire but who is to say it was for the better? To give up freedom for security is one thing, to give up security and freedom in favor of ignorance I cannot ignore."

Without listening for their responses, Revan collected his mask from the table and turned to leave, pausing at the doorway to the restaurant and turning to them.

"I am probably going to be in a very large amount very shortly with both the Sith and the Republic so I suggest the two of you check with the local Republic base for some personal security. I won't be able to watch your backs all the time but I will do my best. I'll tell you right now your importance to me has gone down drastically with the reawakening of the Force within me but I still see the wisdom in sparing the two of you. I don't have the potential enemy in your daughter and I ensure that you don't fall into the hands of the Sith to be used against her. I still need her powers to teach Bandon a bit of a lesson and even though I know I can invite a great deal of pain and agony on that fool it is too soon and I need the Sith distracted..."

Turning, Revan left the Shans to their thoughts, leaving his unease at facing Darth Nihilus and Sion again unvoiced. As far as the Republic and Jedi had been concerned Bandon was the only threat and Nihilus and Sion were his mere lackeys. Revan shuddered briefly at the memory of agonizing pain and uselessness that had encompassed him when he had been torn from the Force's embrace. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Revan remembered the help it had been seeking a distraction from his weakness by working alongside Mira and learning from her as much as she had learned from him. Mira had shown him that life went beyond the Force and for that he would forever be grateful to her and for that he would show her the wonders of the Force. With a smile that was entirely lacking in cruelty, Revan made his way to the _Bloodraven_ intent on contacting Mira and meeting up with her as soon as possible.

"I think its time I took a new apprentice..."

Revan said to himself, covering his face with his mask and moving through the streets of Ahto city, unseen in the shroud of the Force he wrapped around him combined with his stealth field. He may have been confident in his abilities and in Manaan's security forces but nothing was stopping a sniper or two from taking a shot at him for a kilometer away and he was just too weary from his conversation with the Shans to bother with that nuisance.


	14. Chapter 14: The Apprentice

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14: The Apprentice

"Evil... Why does everyone call me that? You should try calling me indifferent. Not to be confused with apathy, indifference is far from uncaring. An indifferent person chooses not to take sides. An indifferent person looks at a problem with open eyes and not through the narrowminded dogma of a Jedi or the blind hatred of a Sith."

The former Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Revan said calmly, slowly twisted the hand in his grasp and enjoying the sound of the broken bones in his opponents wrist grinding together. Pulling harder, Revan dug his knee even deeper into the old soldier's kidney before drawing back his elbow and driving it into the back of the man's skull as he lay on the duracrete walkway of Manaan's streets. Standing up slowly, Revan sneered slightly through his mask at the unconscious Republic soldier that had attacked him.

"Let that be a lesson, my blind old friend."

Revan spat, turning to the Selkath security guards that approached him warily.

"I'm finished with him and the next time someone attacks me I may be tempted to kill them. Throw him in a cell and charge him with whatever passes for assault here."

Looking uncertain but very, very frightened as Revan's hand came to rest beside his lightsaber, the Selkath guard captain nodded and lifted the Republic soldier's limp body, intent on taking the soldier to a healer before letting him go. He had seen what Revan had done as soon as the soldier had lifted the blaster pistol to his face and he felt that a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder and likely a few broken ribs were payment enough for attempting to kill a former Sith Lord. That and the knowledge that he would never be able to challenge Revan directly and succeed. Lifting the old man, Sunry from the ground and hauling him away, the Selkath left Revan alone amidst the masses of Ahto city.

"Those were some nice moves..."

A young woman in a Sith uniform said admirably. Revan passed along a rude hand gesture, uncaring as he continued towards his ship.

"Now now, Lord Revan. It isn't polite or wise to dismiss someone so callously."

The young woman smiled slowly when Revan's hooded form stopped and the former Sith Lord's head turned slightly so the corner of his mask faced her. Almost as soon as Revan faced her the Sith could feel the intrusion in her mental shields and even before she could mount an effective defense against Revan he had already discovered her intent.

"I don't deal with double agents..."

Revan thought of warning the young woman that the Republic soldier he had beaten was on to her but decided not to. Let the old man kill her and he could be rid of two problems at once. Without bothering to take in the young woman's look of rage, Revan rounded from her and continued onward to his ship, occasionally shoving aside a Sith or Republic soldier that tried to shoulder past him. Smirking as one landed rather hard on the floor, Revan moved on, pausing at the bay doors of his hangar and reaching deeply into the Force that had abandoned him once but now seemed intent on answering is every beck and call. Smiling as a feeling of completeness washed over him along with the power he had formerly controlled, Revan rolled his shoulders slowly to work out the stiffness that came with wearing his armor and keyed in his security code, his lightsaber already in his right hand as he prepared for his attackers.

"So the rumors were not true..."

A feminine voice called from the dim lighting of the hangar bay. Revan kept his saber deactivated as he waited, his face as expressionless as his mask.

"My Master is most displeased that Lord Sion and Nihilus did not destroy you but he has much more urgent matters to attend to than chasing down those weaklings... I of course have been waiting for this for years..."

Bored, Revan began spinning his inactive lightsaber hilt in his hand, a gesture he was certain Darth Bandon's apprentice, Darth Chens'a would know well. She had served him with competence during the first year of his reign as Dark Lord so he was not surprised to see her still alive. He was also not surprised to see that the young human was Bandon's apprentice, merely disappointed.

"I had heard you were blind to the Force but seeing that you are not I have an offer..."

Silence answering her, the apprentice of the Dark Lord of the Sith continued, her unease growing at the sight that had inspired so much fear in the galaxy for two long years, the sight of Darth Revan's mask.

"You could join me and we could overthrow Lord Bandon. Take control of the Star Forge and rebuild your Empire..."

Revan actually paused, pretending to think over the deal before he shrugged casually.

"Not interested. Already have an apprentice chosen so you're pretty much useless. If you live maybe we can talk later... when you're getting your arms and legs replaced with a droid's."

With that, Revan moved forward, not bothering to take in the woman's startled features. It was all an act to throw him off and he was no fool. The young woman before him was a hardened warrior and a killer, one he had shaped himself and one he had no interest in at the moment. The galaxy was a big place and he didn't need to be the Dark Lord of the Sith to get things done. He only needed credits and power, both things he had to spare at that very moment.

"Defend yourself."

Revan called when her lightsaber remained inactive. Realizing Revan wasn't falling for her act, Darth Chens'a's face morphed into a scowl, her pale eyes glowing golden in the dim lighting of the hangar.

"You wouldn't think I'd come alone, would you?"

The young Sith mocked as she dodged Revan's first strike, raising her violet-bladed lightsaber in a quick block. Revan did not answer with words, merely raising his left arm slowly towards the Dark Jedi approaching him from the side and flicking his wrist. The power of the blow was more than Revan had intended but it got the job done and the Sith was thrown back across the hangar bay and against the wall where a wet popping sound filled the air as a spatter of crimson blood painted the wall and the body dropped in a lifeless heap. Taking advantage of the barely noticeable distraction, Chens'a moved to Revan's left, attempting to slice into his outstretched arm. Revan quickly twisted his right wrist, the Force singing to him and letting him know exactly how much power to put behind the blow. Almost as quickly as the blade was diverted from its path, Revan felt the Force's warning and drew heavily upon it, taking a large stride forward as he held the hilt of his crimson bladed lightsaber in both hands and raised it over his shoulders, his blade running parallel to his spine and intercepting the Dark Lord's apprentice's blade with ease. Had the Force not told him how to hold the blade, Revan was certain the strength behind his opponent's blow would have sent his own blade into his spine. Following through with another step, Revan pivoted his heel, leaning back slightly as a shaft of purple light shot over to where his throat had been moments before. Knocking the blade aside in a quick flourish, Revan locked blades with his foe, sliding his weapon along until it clipped Chens'a's hilt and the first two fingers and her thumb on her left hand.

"You're getting sloppy."

Revan chided as the young woman dropped the molten remains of her lightsaber and held her ruined hand, crying out in pain. Breathing heavily from the amount of Force energy he had exerted, Revan decided he needed to get some more practice in as he raised his left hand, lowering his lightsaber and slowly calling the Force to his will. Within moments the young woman's cries were replaced by choking and Revan watched as she struggled to free herself desperately from his hold. Her eyes yearned for him to free her but Revan knew those same eyes had looked on with joy as they had done exactly the same thing to others.

"You can have your life... But I can guarantee you for challenging me here today it won't be worth living."

With that, Revan used the Force to lift the young woman, calling on the once elusive power to smash the bones in her legs and her arms. Chens'a cried out in agony as she was slowly crushed by Revan's will, only at the last moment, when the damage had already been done did her powerful outburst of Force energy send Revan back a step, breaking his hold on her. The sound of wet flesh meeting duracrete sounded and despite her agonized screams, Chens'a managed a hateful glare towards Revan. In response, Revan swallowed the sickened lump that had formed in his throat at the torture and he merely tilted his head, watching the young woman struggle.

"I'm curious..."

Revan began, kneeling beside Chens'a's form as his cape slowly collected in a pile at his heels and his armor shifted slightly with the change in his stance.

"Did you honestly think you'd get away with this?"

Revan asked, idly straightening a strand of hair that fell over his opponent's sweat-covered face. In response, Chens'a snarled wordlessly, her hatred clear in her yellowed Sith eyes. Revan gave a simple humph and slammed the edge of his hand into his opponent's temple, just enough force behind the blow to knock her unconscious and not kill her. Rising slowly from his crouch, Revan walked to the edge of the maintenance bay, activating the communicator there and informing the Selkath of another attack and that one of the assailants was in need of a burial and the other in need of a Healer. Turning slowly to look down at the dead body of the Sith that had attacked him at Chens'a's order, Revan sniffed slightly and shook his head.

"I think I have some training to do..."

Revan decided, realizing that he had atrophied slightly in his Force form since losing his abilities three years before. Stepping over the corpse and moving towards his ship, Revan briefly reached out with the Force, sensing that despite his exhaustion he still had some strength to spare and quickly scanned the ship for any new threats. Sensing none in the immediate area, Revan stepped inside, checking his ship's messages and frowning in annoyance when he realized he was doing exactly what the Jedi had wanted. While he wasn't actively seeking a way to destroy the Order, Revan was not a fan and the message from Mira about a detachment of Jedi being sent from Coruscant to retrieve him as well as a backup group from Dantooine was stressing. While the Republic and Sith were severely lacking in their abilities of capturing or killing him, Revan had no doubt the Jedi would have some trick up their cloaks.

"This is bloody fantastic."

Revan muttered, wondering who the Force would be insane enough to try to hunt him down. Sith Lords and old Republic soldiers with too much misplaced loyalty and too much time were one thing, adding a seasoned Jedi Knight that was likely embittered towards him for the war was a whole other matter. Most of the Sith that had followed him, or more precisely those that had survived through the events of Malak's betrayal and Bandon's rise to power were generally new to the Darkside and Revan was not sorry to say, incompetent. He could strike down three without the Force and he knew his chances against a seasoned and likely more careful Jedi were drastically less appealing.

"Better get started."

Revan sighed, using his slightly drained Force reserves to raise his lightsaber from his belt and into the air that filled the cockpit of the _Bloodraven._ With ease a Padawan would envy the hilt moved quickly and gracefully, its blade inactive though Revan could activate it at any time and use it to much the same effect through the Force as he could with his own hands. It was a trick his Master Kreia had taught him and one that had been invaluable when surrounded by a great many more opponents than he could simply tear his way through like a mad Rancor.

"That was more Malak's style..."  
Revan sighed to himself at the thought, the stab of pain that accompanied any memory of his friends more present than it had been in a long time.

"Bloody Hell."

Revan muttered, standing and leaving the ship in time to see the Selkath hauling away Darth Chens'a and the Sith he had killed. Stretching slowly, Revan turned back to his ship, removing his bulky armor in favor of his black robes and cloak and decided he'd go for a run. He'd been getting lazy since he could feel the Force again and decided it'd be best to get back to a routine. Slowly jogging along the edge of the landing bay, Revan wondered briefly why he was thinking of Malak.

High above Manaan a Jedi transport orbited the oceanic world, awaiting clearance to land in Ahto city. At the controls the former apprentice of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Malak calmly stared at the world, the memories of the Star Forge and the search for the Starmaps with Revan years before crossing his mind. Beside Malak, Jedi Master and High Councillor Atris stared impassively at the world with dim blue eyes, her expression annoyed.

"Patience."

Malak soothed, having sensed Revan's recent outburst of power and the duel. He even thought he could recognize the opponent but didn't bother checking too far into it when he sensed the blinding hatred and ultimate defeat of said opponent.

"You sensed that, Malak. Our job is to bring Revan to Coruscant to open the files in his old Yacht not to bring in his corpse. It has been three years since he has last used the Force. It doesn't matter how good he was he has still atrophied in his use. You sensed how much energy he used just then."

Malak sighed, the mechanical undertone lost in the gesture.

"Revan is much stronger than you realize, Atris. After the Mandalorian war he became something all too different from the man you remember. How do you think he was able to best so many of the Jedi? He may have used a lot of energy in those attacks but he has the energy to spare. What was it Master Kreia always said about him? Revan was power."

Looking uneasy at the mention of Revan's old Master, Atris said nothing. Hearing about her predecessor on the High Council was never easy but hearing that she had fallen to the Darkside because of the knowledge she possessed was never something she liked to dwell upon. It meant that she was in danger of falling and that, Atris could simply not believe. As if on cue, the communicator on the ship activated and an all too familiar ship passed the Jedi transport, tilting to the left and right as it passed.

"Greetings, Master Atris."

Bastila Shan's voiced called over the comm line as Carth passed along his own greeting as he flew the _Ebon Hawk_ past. Malak looked slightly ill at the sound of the voice, remembering a time he had plotted capturing and torturing the young woman behind Revan's back. He had been a Sith at the time but it had still been his own mind that had come up with the plan.   
"Greetings, Padawan Shan and Commander Onasi. It is good you've arrived. We sensed a massive disturbance in the Force moments ago and it seems Revan is making his presence known."

The other end of the comm line was silent for a moment, the detachments of the Dantooine Enclave uneased slightly at the news.

"Not to worry, my _companion_ believes that Revan was victorious and I can sense his... frustration."

Frustration indeed. Revan scowled at the _Bloodraven_ as he realized with distaste that the Sith had tried to sabotage his ship by coating his ion engine drives with an explosive material. Running a hand along the slime coating the drive, Revan shook his head and called the Selkath for a cleaning bot. If he'd tried warming the engines for preflight before leaving the hangar he'd have been dead before he knew it. Having second thoughts as to leaving Darth Chens'a alive, Revan leapt down from behind the _Bloodraven_, the Force cushioning his landing as he landed in a crouch. Staying in his crouch for some time, lost in his own thoughts, Revan did not sense the Jedi that had arrived in orbit of Manaan.


End file.
